Harlan, IA

Single-footprint Census roll-up for Harlan, IA: 1 USPS ZIP, population 6,703. Open the primary ZIP for household income, housing tenure, and commute from ACS 2023 5-Year Estimates.

U.S. Census Bureau, SimpleMaps US ZIP Code Database, delivery-area ZIP coverage

ACS city ledger plate

Sheet HARLAN-IA · Harlan, IA 1 ZIPs · 6,703 pop · #15418/25278 · Shelby County

INC-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · BOOK-ONE · OWN-MID · POP-TOWN · SPREAD-UNK · HOME-LOW

  • INC-MID $65,000
  • RANK-LOWER #15418/25278
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Defiance
  • BOOK-ONE 1 ZIP
  • OWN-MID 76% owners
  • POP-TOWN 6,703
  • SPREAD-UNK Single-ZIP book
  • HOME-LOW $166,800

Nearest income peer: Defiance, IA ( $250 income $)

Instrument codes from this city’s ACS household income, national rank, county-peer gap, ZIP book, owner tenure, population scale, intra-city income spread, and home-value band, not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Harlan

Lowest/highest poles plus county-sharing cities nearest Harlan on average ZIP median household income. Full ladder: /cities.

median HH income

What this shows County-sharing peers only, not the full US city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the mosaic is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-25

National city placement

According to ACS 5-Year Estimates, Harlan, IA sits among US cities with a below-median household income, on a town-scale population base, across a single-ZIP footprint.

39th pct
household income vs 25,278 US cities
6,703
city population (Census)
1
USPS ZIP codes covered
$65,000
avg ZIP median income

Income percentile ranks this city's average ZIP median household income against 25,278 US cities with ACS income on at least one ZIP. Scale and ZIP-spread words come from Census population and USPS ZIP coverage.

Below-median income with few delivery areas (1): read cost-of-living from the primary ZIP. Household income $65,000 and poverty 7.3% concentrate in 51537.

Owner-occupancy sits in a mixed band (76.1%) - check the ZIP page's tenure split before treating Harlan as a pure owner town.

Within Iowa, Charles City is the closest lower-income city and Massena the closest higher-income city by average ZIP household income. Their 1 and 1 ZIP footprints are the immediate statewide comparison set for Harlan.

Population concentration

One ZIP, 51537, is all of Harlan

There is no split to weigh here: 51537 holds every one of Harlan's 6,703 ACS residents. City-level and ZIP-level numbers on this site are the same number twice, check the ZIP page for the income/tenure/commute breakdown.

Census ZBP business roll-up

Dense ZBP book packed into Harlan's one ZIP

Citywide ZBP: 243 establishments, 3,390 employees , annual payroll $168,319k (~36 establishments per 1,000 residents) across 1 of 1 ZIPs. Peak business ZIP 51537 (243 units) ; leading NAICS Health care and social assistance (35) · also Retail trade · Other services (except public administration) .

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ZIP Codes in Harlan, IA

These ZIP codes sit in Shelby County, which covers 9 ZIP codes in all; 1 of them fall in Harlan. See the Shelby County roll-up →

Harlan sits in the lower half of Shelby County on income: Earling, Portsmouth and Panama report more, Elk Horn and Irwin report less. Portsmouth marks the far end of that range at $103,257, 59% above Harlan.

ZIP Code Population Median income Establishments Density
51537 6,703 $65,000 243 16

Harlan roll-ups here are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial or relocation advice. ACS and Census ZBP figures are estimates; confirm the current table against Census before a money or move decision involving Harlan, .