Iowa · Census place 59970
Ossian, IA population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Ossian, Iowa (Ossian, IA — Census place “Ossian city”) is 833 residents, ranking #338 of 1026 places in Iowa. Median household income is $58,929, the median home is worth $152,700 and median gross rent runs $707 a month. Looking for the Ossian Iowa ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Ossian, IA: 52161.
- Population
- 833Ossian city residents
- Median household income
- $58,929Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $152,700Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $707Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 39.8 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 78.3%Owner-occupied households
Ossian ZIP codes (Iowa)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Ossian.
The Ossian IA ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Ossian city
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Ossian city median would spend about 14.4% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 2.6× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 9.1% of residents and 78.3% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Ossian city, IA in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Ossian city is a very small community in Iowa, with 833 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #338 of 1,026 ranked by population — larger than 67% of them. The median age here is 39.8 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly older profile than the country as a whole. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.
Households in Ossian city earn a median of $58,929 a year, 25% below the national figure of $78,538 and 13% below the $67,791 median for the 290 Iowa cities we cover. The median is the midpoint household, not an average, so a handful of very high earners cannot drag it upward the way they distort a mean. Poverty reaches 9.1% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Ossian city is valued at $152,700, 49.7% below the national figure and within a couple of points of the $156,300 peer median, while median gross rent runs $707 a month, 49.7% below the national figure, or roughly $8,484 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 14.4% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 2.6×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 78.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans toward owners. The rent line includes utilities paid by the tenant, a definition worth remembering when comparing it against a landlord's quoted rate.
With 833 residents, a handful of survey responses moves every median on this page. Compare Ossian city against its county rather than against national figures.
Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in Iowa.
- Buffalo Center city 1,000
- Woodward city 1,002
- Villisca city 1,004
- Newhall city 1,012
- Janesville city 1,012
- Aplington city 1,012
- Keosauqua city 1,014
- Griswold city 1,020
Keep going
More Iowa coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Ossian city?
- Ossian city has 833 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #338 of 1,026 in Iowa.
- What is the median household income in Ossian city?
- Median household income in Ossian city is $58,929 a year, 25% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Ossian city?
- Median gross rent is $707 a month and the median home value is $152,700, so rent absorbs about 14.4% of median household income.
- Is Ossian city affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 2.6× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Ossian city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 14.4% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Ossian city data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.