[2][3] Pottawattamie County is included in the Omaha–Council Bluffs, NE–IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

[6] Pottawattamie County is located within Iowa's Loess Hills, and was the site of Kanesville along the Mormon Trail.

[7] In 2023, Pottawattamie County had the highest corn production in Iowa and the U.S., with over 47 million bushels produced.

[8] Due to movement of the Missouri River and a Supreme Court ruling, part of the county, Carter Lake, actually lies on the far side of the Missouri River.

This part of the county cannot be reached by road without entering Nebraska; no direct bridge exists.

24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Pottawattamie County.

Some recent elections were more competitive, with Barack Obama losing the county in 2008 by less than 1,000 votes.