Carson, IA · standard
ZIP Code 51525
Pottawattamie County, Iowa - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 1,184
- 8/sq mi Low-density area
- $82,308
- Median income Near-median income area
- $196,700
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 26.4%
- Bachelor's or higher Near-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Carson pairs an above-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 35%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 43rd pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 8
- people per sq mi
- 83%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 51525 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 51525 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Carson, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, home to just 1,184 residents across 155.8 square miles, a density of 8 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 51525 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $82,308 (7% above the average Iowa ZIP), while per-capita income is $40,458. Both reported hardship measures are comparatively low in absolute terms: poverty is 6.5% and unemployment is 2.2%. Median home value is $196,700 (12% above the average Iowa ZIP) and median rent is $728; 83.0% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 26.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 46.7, and the average commute is 31 minutes. The page also surfaces 3 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Pottawattamie County, so 51525 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 51525, Carson, IA · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
1,184
Population
155.8
Area (sq mi)
8
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 51525?
46.7
Median Age
48.8%
Male
51.2%
Female
0.7%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$82,308
Median Household Income
+7% vs state ZIP avg
$40,458
Per Capita Income
6.5%
Poverty Rate
2.2%
Unemployment Rate
30.7 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 51525 ranks among Iowa ZIPs
Carson, IA household income vs. every Iowa ZIP code
Median household income among 911 reporting Iowa ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$82,308 Top 33% higher than 67% of 911 Iowa ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Iowa ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
476housing units
476
Total Housing Units
464
Occupied Units
12
Vacant Units
2.30
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$196,700
Median Home Value
+12% vs state ZIP avg
$728
Median Rent
1964
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 19 business establishments in ZIP 51525, employing approximately 62 people with a combined annual payroll of $1,893,000.
19
Businesses
62
Employees
$1.9M
Annual Payroll
1
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 5 | 26.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 51525 vs 51549 →
ZIP 51525 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 51560
Oakland (51560)
2,099 residents
- 51525
Carson (51525)
1,184 residents
- 51549 465
Macedonia (51549)
465 residents
- 51541 363
Henderson (51541)
363 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 51525 ranks #2 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 51525 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 51541
Henderson (51541)
$91,875 median income
- 51525
Carson (51525)
$82,308 median income
- 51560
Oakland (51560)
$75,481 median income
- 51549
Macedonia (51549)
$72,500 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 51525 ranks #2 of 4 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 51525, both outside IA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (1,184 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Pottawattamie County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 51525 in?
ZIP code 51525 (Carson) is located in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Pottawattamie County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/pottawattamie-ia.
What is the population of ZIP code 51525?
ZIP code 51525 in Carson, IA has a population of 1,184 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 51525?
The median household income in ZIP 51525 is $82,308, which is 8% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 51525?
The median home value in ZIP 51525 is $196,700, which is 29% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 51525?
The largest racial group in ZIP 51525 is White at 94.3%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 2.4% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 51525?
ZIP code 51525 has 19 business establishments employing approximately 62 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 51525?
In ZIP code 51525, 60.7% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 26.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the average commute time in ZIP 51525?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 51525 is 30.7 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend more time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 51525?
In ZIP code 51525, approximately 83.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 17.0% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 51525?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 51525 is 6.5% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 51525's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 51525 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Carson, IA ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.