Harlan is a city in Shelby County, Iowa, home to about 4,891 people across 4.4 square miles. Its ZIP code is 51537.
Homes sold for a median of $108 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly Harlan; also Tennant and Westphalia
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Harlan. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Harlan’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Eppley Airfield (OMA)38 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Omaha, NE47 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL393 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Harlan; 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.
Harlan had 4,893 residents in the 2020 census, down 7% since 2000.
It’s the 89th largest of 1,019 towns in Iowa by population.
Shelby County grew from 17,932 residents in 1900 to 11,746 in 2020.
Shelby County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 86°F in summer, and winter lows average 10°F. About 34.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 31 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Harlan, IA weather station (about a mile away).
5,049 jobs at 384 businesses in Shelby County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
74 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Harlan.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 7 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 2 |
| Dentists | 8 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 13 |
| Mental health providers | 21 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 14 |
| Optometrists | 4 |
| Chiropractors | 5 |
| Pharmacies | 5 |
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 (8 nearby)
Grocery stores (2 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries (2 nearby)
Museums (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 1.5 miles 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.
Established in 1858.
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Harlan Comm School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan PrimaryHarlan | Pre-K–2 | 342 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Harlan Intermediate SchoolHarlan | 3–5 | 309 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Harlan Community Middle SchoolHarlan | 6–8 | 335 | Public | 1.8 mi |
| Harlan High SchoolHarlan | 9–12 | 486 | Public | 1.7 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County Catholic SchoolHarlan | Pre-K–5 | 81 | Roman Catholic | 1.2 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Tennant, Westphalia, Corley and Jacksonville.
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.