O'Brien County GIS Maps
O'Brien County, Iowa, has 14,182 residents across 18,503 parcels and covers 573 square miles. The population declined 1.5% between the 2010 and 2020 census. More residents left than arrived over that decade. The FIPS code for O'Brien County is 19141.
Sheldon is the county's largest population center. O'Brien County also includes 8 zip codes, 6 public school districts and 32 municipalities. Those boundaries help explain why population, schools, and housing can look different from one part of the county to another. The map below shows how those county lines, zip codes, and school districts fit together, and the sections that follow use that same geography to show parcel data, population, demographics, school enrollment and housing patterns in more detail.
Maps, GIS layers, Parcels and sample data. Paid packages add full layers, analytics and database files.
O'Brien County Trends
- Population
- 14,182▾
- Median Home Value
- $158,900▴
- K-12 Enrollment
- 4,564▴
County analytics dashboards with historical trends & projections included in package downloads.
Free starter access previews county maps, lightweight GIS, and sample data. Paid packages unlock full GIS layers, analytics, and database files.
O'Brien County Maps
The maps below show a few of the county map styles included in our downloads. County packages include map exports in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF and GeoTIFF formats plus more than 20 GIS layers for mapping, research and analysis. Available layers include zip codes, area codes, subdivisions, school districts, political boundaries, roads, water features, points of interest and more.
County packages also include historical county demographics, business intelligence, analytical dashboards, AI-ready prompts, markdown files and related reference data. Everything is organized to save hours of manual work collecting current data, cleaning it and joining it together. That makes it easier to move faster on analytics, due diligence, business planning and location research. Paid packages are built for commercial use, but some package contents include source-specific attribution or notice guidance. Review Licensing & Data Source Notices.
O'Brien County Parcels
O'Brien County has 18,503 mapped parcels covering 364,458 acres. The median assessed value is $115,950. The median lot size is 19.58 acres. 9,444 parcels are 10 acres or larger. The records carry 8,385 distinct owner names. Owner names and assessed values are on nearly every parcel. Lot sizes reach 92.1%. Browse the interactive O'Brien County Parcel viewer here.
O'Brien County Parcel Data Coverage
| Field | Parcels | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel ID | 18,503 | 100% |
| Owner name | 18,486 | 99.9% |
| Owner mailing address | 0 | 0% |
| Site address | 8,408 | 45.4% |
| Land use code | 0 | 0% |
| Land use description | 0 | 0% |
| Assessed value | 18,457 | 99.8% |
| Land value | 0 | 0% |
| Improvement value | 0 | 0% |
| Acreage | 17,050 | 92.1% |
| Parcel boundary | 18,503 | 100% |
| Download all O'Brien County parcels. | ||
Field coverage measured across all O'Brien County parcel records.
O'Brien County Population
O'Brien County had 14,182 residents in 2020. That was 1.5% lower than in 2010. O'Brien County had 920 fewer people in 2020 than it did in 2000, which points to a long-term population decline. The county is fairly spread out, with about 25 people per square mile. Some of the county's most populated postal areas include Hartley, Sanborn and Paullina.
Population Trend in O'Brien County IA
O'Brien County Population per 2000, 2010 and 2020 census counts with a baseline 2030 projection.
O'Brien County Zip Codes
O'Brien County has 8 zip codes. Some of the county's most populated zip codes include Hartley (51346), Sanborn (51248) and Paullina (51046). Hartley is the largest zip by population, with about 2,343 residents or 17% of the county total. Together, the three largest zips account for about 40% of all county residents based on 2020 population estimates.
Most Populated Zip Codes in O'Brien County IA
| ZIP | Area | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51346 | Hartley | 2,343 | ▾ -4.4% |
| 51248 | Sanborn | 1,828 | ▾ -1.6% |
| 51046 | Paullina | 1,497 | ▾ -9.8% |
| 51245 | Primghar | 1,306 | ▾ -3.9% |
| 51058 | Sutherland | 972 | ▾ -3.5% |
| Download all zip code data | |||
O'Brien County Zip Code populations and trends per most recent census data.
O'Brien County Demographics
O'Brien County has a median age of 39.8, which makes the county a little older than Iowa overall. About 24.4% of residents are under 18, while 21.1% are 65 or older. That gives the county a fairly even mix of younger families and older adults. The largest age group is 25 to 44 at about 29.2% of the population, which points to a solid working-age base. About 22.5% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the statewide figure of 30.9%. The county is mostly White by population, though Hispanic, Asian, Black and multiracial residents are also part of the local mix.
Key Demographics for O'Brien County IA
Median Age
39.8
Under 18
24.4%
Age 65+
21.1%
Bachelor's+
22.5%
O'Brien County School Districts
O'Brien County is served by 6 public school districts with 4,564 students enrolled in 2024. The largest districts on the county map are MOC-Floyd Valley Community, Sheldon Community and Sioux Central Community. Those three districts account for about 73% of public school enrollment in the map area. Total enrollment has stayed fairly steady in recent years, based on district totals from 2017 to 2024.
Largest School Districts by Enrollment in O'Brien County IA
| District | Enrollment | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOC-Floyd Valley Community School District | 1,495 | 32.8% | ▴ 0.7% |
| Sheldon Community School District | 1,179 | 25.8% | ▴ 1.6% |
| Sioux Central Community School District | 639 | 14% | — 0% |
| Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District | 629 | 13.8% | ▾ -3.7% |
| South O'Brien Community School District | 569 | 12.5% | ▴ 2% |
| Download all school district data | |||
O'Brien County school district enrollment and trends per most recent NCES reporting data.
O'Brien County Housing & Real Estate
O'Brien County has a median home value of $158,900 and a median gross rent of $770. About 77% of occupied homes in the county are owner-occupied, so the local housing market leans heavily toward ownership. Home values run below the Iowa median, while rents come in below the state average. In March 2026, the median listing price was $242,875 and homes spent about 112 days on the market.
O'Brien County Housing Mix
O'Brien County housing mix: owner, renter and vacant units.
O'Brien County Housing Trends
O'Brien County median home value and rent trend (last 5 years).
Businesses in O'Brien County, IA
O'Brien County has 762 business listings across 274 categories. The largest categories in O'Brien County business listings are Churches & Religious Organizations (39, 5.1%), Agricultural Service (16, 2.1%), and Insurance Agencies (13, 1.7%). The full O'Brien County business listings dataset includes names, categories, addresses and contact details where available. O'Brien County packages also include U.S. Census County Business Patterns data with establishment counts, employment and payroll by industry sector.
Top Business Categories in O'Brien County, IA
| Category | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Churches & Religious Organizations | 39 | 5.1% |
| Agricultural Service | 16 | 2.1% |
| Insurance Agencies | 13 | 1.7% |
| Convenience Stores | 12 | 1.6% |
| Gas Stations | 12 | 1.6% |
| Medical Offices | 11 | 1.4% |
| Public And Government Association | 11 | 1.4% |
| Hardware Stores | 11 | 1.4% |
| Auto Repair | 10 | 1.3% |
| Banks & Credit Unions | 10 | 1.3% |
O'Brien County Business Listings
| Business | Category | City |
|---|---|---|
| Cain Ellsworth & Company, LLP | Accountant | Sheldon |
| Complete 180 Fitness | Active Life | Sanborn |
| Sutherland Signs and Designs | Advertising Agency | Sutherland |
| Ag Partners | Agricultural Cooperatives | Hartley |
| Deluxe Animal Health | Agricultural Service | Sheldon |
| O'Brien County Implement | Agriculture | Sheldon |
| Icon Ag & Turf | Agriculture Association | Paullina |
| Sheldon Municipal Airport | Airport | Sheldon |
| Sanborn Ambulance | Ambulance And Ems Services | Sanborn |
| ReBorn Treasures | Antique Store | Sanborn |
| Download O'Brien County business listings | ||
O'Brien County business listings sourced from Overture Maps. Includes locations with a high level of confidence.
Get the Full O'Brien County Data Package
This page shows a preview of what's included in the O'Brien County data package. The full package gives you a ready-to-use county data system with GIS layers, historical data, maps, database files and planning tools that save hours of manual data gathering, cleanup and joins. Everything is organized to help you skip data wrangling and start analysis faster.
- 20+ GIS layers for parcels, zip codes, school districts, roads, water, boundaries and more
- Historical county demographics, housing, income and trend data
- ZIP code population files and school district enrollment history
- Database files, markdowns, AI-ready prompts and documentation
- Map exports in PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG and GeoTIFF formats
- Offline-ready data explorer, map and analytics tools
Paid packages support commercial use, client work, and derived outputs. Some package contents may include source-specific attribution or provider notices. See Licensing & Data Source Notices.
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Nearby Counties
Browse county data pages for the counties that border O'Brien County. These nearby pages include the same mix of county maps, demographic summaries, school district context, housing trends and package links.