Carter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, home to about 3,767 people across 1.8 square miles. Its ZIP code is 51510.
Homes sold for a median of $176 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Carter Lake. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
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| Nearest major airport | Eppley Airfield (OMA)1 mile away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Omaha, NE8 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL427 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Carter Lake; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Carter Lake had 3,791 residents in the 2020 census, up 17% since 2000.
It’s the 107th largest of 1,019 towns in Iowa by population.
Pottawattamie County grew from 54,336 residents in 1900 to 93,667 in 2020.
Pottawattamie County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 88°F in summer, and winter lows average 15°F. About 32.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 27 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE weather station (about a mile away).
32,384 jobs at 1,920 businesses in Pottawattamie County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
2 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Carter Lake.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Dentists | 2 |
|---|
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (5 nearby)
Grocery stores
Pharmacies
Libraries
Museums
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Council Bluffs Comm School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter Lake Elementary SchoolCarter Lake | Pre-K–5 | 301 | Public | 0.1 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.