Counties in Iowa by average annual temperature

Lee County had the highest average annual temperature of 99 counties in 2023, at 53.7 °F. Osceola County had the lowest, at 47 °F. The median was 50.8 °F and the figure for Iowa was 50.5 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest53.7Lee County
Median50.899 counties
Iowa50.5History

Map of counties, 2023

Adair County: 51.2 °FAdams County: 51.7 °FAllamakee County: 48.3 °FAppanoose County: 52.8 °FAudubon County: 50.4 °FBenton County: 50.3 °FBlack Hawk County: 50.3 °FBoone County: 51 °FBremer County: 49.3 °FBuchanan County: 49.3 °FBuena Vista County: 48.7 °FButler County: 49.4 °FCalhoun County: 49.8 °FCarroll County: 50.6 °FCass County: 51.4 °FCedar County: 51.5 °FCerro Gordo County: 48.3 °FCherokee County: 48.9 °FChickasaw County: 48.1 °FClarke County: 52.8 °FClay County: 48.2 °FClayton County: 49 °FClinton County: 52.2 °FCrawford County: 50.9 °FDallas County: 51.8 °FDavis County: 53 °FDecatur County: 53.2 °FDelaware County: 49.3 °FDes Moines County: 53.3 °FDickinson County: 47.3 °FDubuque County: 49.8 °FEmmet County: 47.5 °FFayette County: 48.2 °FFloyd County: 48.5 °FFranklin County: 48.9 °FFremont County: 53.1 °FGreene County: 50.8 °FGrundy County: 50 °FGuthrie County: 50.9 °FHamilton County: 49.3 °FHancock County: 48.1 °FHardin County: 49.7 °FHarrison County: 51.8 °FHenry County: 52.8 °FHoward County: 47.2 °FHumboldt County: 48.9 °FIda County: 49.9 °FIowa County: 51.5 °FJackson County: 51.1 °FJasper County: 51.8 °FJefferson County: 52.2 °FJohnson County: 51.6 °FJones County: 50.8 °FKeokuk County: 51.9 °FKossuth County: 48.3 °FLee County: 53.7 °FLinn County: 50.8 °FLouisa County: 53.1 °FLucas County: 52.6 °FLyon County: 47.4 °FMadison County: 52.3 °FMahaska County: 52.4 °FMarion County: 52.5 °FMarshall County: 50.7 °FMills County: 52.7 °FMitchell County: 47.7 °FMonona County: 51.1 °FMonroe County: 52.7 °FMontgomery County: 52.2 °FMuscatine County: 52.2 °FO'Brien County: 48.1 °FOsceola County: 47 °FPage County: 52.7 °FPalo Alto County: 48.1 °FPlymouth County: 49.5 °FPocahontas County: 48.5 °FPolk County: 52.1 °FPottawattamie County: 52.1 °FPoweshiek County: 51.4 °FRinggold County: 52.8 °FSac County: 50 °FScott County: 52.9 °FShelby County: 51 °FSioux County: 48.2 °FStory County: 51 °FTama County: 50.5 °FTaylor County: 52.5 °FUnion County: 52 °FVan Buren County: 52.9 °FWapello County: 52.7 °FWarren County: 52.6 °FWashington County: 52.1 °FWayne County: 52.6 °FWebster County: 49.5 °FWinnebago County: 47.5 °FWinneshiek County: 48.1 °FWoodbury County: 50.4 °FWorth County: 47.6 °FWright County: 48.5 °F
  • Under 48
  • 48 to 50
  • 50 to 51
  • 51 to 52
  • 52 to 53
  • 53 and over
°F, 2023. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2023

Lee County: 53.7 °FLee County53.7Des Moines County: 53.3 °FDes Moines County53.3Decatur County: 53.2 °FDecatur County53.2Fremont County: 53.1 °FFremont County53.1Louisa County: 53.1 °FLouisa County53.1Davis County: 53 °FDavis County53Scott County: 52.9 °FScott County52.9Van Buren County: 52.9 °FVan Buren County52.9Appanoose County: 52.8 °FAppanoose County52.8Clarke County: 52.8 °FClarke County52.8Henry County: 52.8 °FHenry County52.8Ringgold County: 52.8 °FRinggold County52.8Mills County: 52.7 °FMills County52.7Monroe County: 52.7 °FMonroe County52.7Page County: 52.7 °FPage County52.7Wapello County: 52.7 °FWapello County52.7Lucas County: 52.6 °FLucas County52.6Warren County: 52.6 °FWarren County52.6Wayne County: 52.6 °FWayne County52.6Marion County: 52.5 °FMarion County52.5Taylor County: 52.5 °FTaylor County52.5Mahaska County: 52.4 °FMahaska County52.4Madison County: 52.3 °FMadison County52.3Clinton County: 52.2 °FClinton County52.2Jefferson County: 52.2 °FJefferson County52.2Montgomery County: 52.2 °FMontgomery County52.2Muscatine County: 52.2 °FMuscatine County52.2Polk County: 52.1 °FPolk County52.1Pottawattamie County: 52.1 °FPottawattamie County52.1Washington County: 52.1 °FWashington County52.1Union County: 52 °FUnion County52Keokuk County: 51.9 °FKeokuk County51.9Dallas County: 51.8 °FDallas County51.8Harrison County: 51.8 °FHarrison County51.8Jasper County: 51.8 °FJasper County51.8Adams County: 51.7 °FAdams County51.7Johnson County: 51.6 °FJohnson County51.6Cedar County: 51.5 °FCedar County51.5Iowa County: 51.5 °FIowa County51.5Cass County: 51.4 °FCass County51.4Lee County: 53.7 °FLee County53.7Des Moines County: 53.3 °FDes Moines County53.3Decatur County: 53.2 °FDecatur County53.2Fremont County: 53.1 °FFremont County53.1Louisa County: 53.1 °FLouisa County53.1Davis County: 53 °FDavis County53Scott County: 52.9 °FScott County52.9Van Buren County: 52.9 °FVan Buren County52.9Appanoose County: 52.8 °FAppanoose County52.8Clarke County: 52.8 °FClarke County52.8Henry County: 52.8 °FHenry County52.8Ringgold County: 52.8 °FRinggold County52.8Mills County: 52.7 °FMills County52.7Monroe County: 52.7 °FMonroe County52.7Page County: 52.7 °FPage County52.7Wapello County: 52.7 °FWapello County52.7Lucas County: 52.6 °FLucas County52.6Warren County: 52.6 °FWarren County52.6Wayne County: 52.6 °FWayne County52.6Marion County: 52.5 °FMarion County52.5Taylor County: 52.5 °FTaylor County52.5Mahaska County: 52.4 °FMahaska County52.4Madison County: 52.3 °FMadison County52.3Clinton County: 52.2 °FClinton County52.2Jefferson County: 52.2 °FJefferson County52.2Montgomery County: 52.2 °FMontgomery County52.2Muscatine County: 52.2 °FMuscatine County52.2Polk County: 52.1 °FPolk County52.1Pottawattamie County: 52.1 °FPottawattamie County52.1Washington County: 52.1 °FWashington County52.1Union County: 52 °FUnion County52Keokuk County: 51.9 °FKeokuk County51.9Dallas County: 51.8 °FDallas County51.8Harrison County: 51.8 °FHarrison County51.8Jasper County: 51.8 °FJasper County51.8Adams County: 51.7 °FAdams County51.7Johnson County: 51.6 °FJohnson County51.6Cedar County: 51.5 °FCedar County51.5Iowa County: 51.5 °FIowa County51.5Cass County: 51.4 °FCass County51.4
°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
°F
Change on 2022
1Lee County53.7+5.7%
2Des Moines County53.3+6.2%
3Decatur County53.2+5.3%
4Fremont County53.1+3.9%
4Louisa County53.1+6.2%
6Davis County53+5.8%
7Scott County52.9+6.4%
7Van Buren County52.9+6.2%
9Appanoose County52.8+5.8%
9Clarke County52.8+5.6%
9Henry County52.8+6.7%
9Ringgold County52.8+5.6%
13Mills County52.7+4.6%
13Monroe County52.7+5.8%
13Page County52.7+4.6%
13Wapello County52.7+5.6%
17Lucas County52.6+5.6%
17Warren County52.6+6%
17Wayne County52.6+5.6%
20Marion County52.5+6.9%
20Taylor County52.5+5%
22Mahaska County52.4+6.1%
23Madison County52.3+6.3%
24Clinton County52.2+6.5%
24Jefferson County52.2+6.1%
24Montgomery County52.2+5%
24Muscatine County52.2+6.5%
28Polk County52.1+6.1%
28Pottawattamie County52.1+4.8%
28Washington County52.1+6.1%
31Union County52+5.5%
32Keokuk County51.9+5.9%
33Dallas County51.8+6.1%
33Harrison County51.8+4.4%
33Jasper County51.8+6.8%
36Adams County51.7+4.9%
37Johnson County51.6+6.8%
38Cedar County51.5+7.1%
38Iowa County51.5+7.1%
40Cass County51.4+5.3%
40Poweshiek County51.4+6.6%
42Adair County51.2+5.8%
43Jackson County51.1+6.9%
43Monona County51.1+4.5%
45Boone County51+6.5%
45Shelby County51+5.4%
45Story County51+6.5%
48Crawford County50.9+5.6%
48Guthrie County50.9+6%
50Greene County50.8+6.7%
50Jones County50.8+7.2%
50Linn County50.8+7.6%
53Marshall County50.7+7%
54Carroll County50.6+6.3%
55Tama County50.5+7.7%
56Audubon County50.4+5.7%
56Woodbury County50.4+4.6%
58Benton County50.3+7.7%
58Black Hawk County50.3+7.9%
60Grundy County50+7.8%
60Sac County50+5.9%
62Ida County49.9+5.5%
63Calhoun County49.8+6.2%
63Dubuque County49.8+7.3%
65Hardin County49.7+7.3%
66Plymouth County49.5+4.2%
66Webster County49.5+6.7%
68Butler County49.4+8.1%
69Bremer County49.3+8.1%
69Buchanan County49.3+8.1%
69Delaware County49.3+8.1%
69Hamilton County49.3+6.7%
73Clayton County49+8.4%
74Cherokee County48.9+5.2%
74Franklin County48.9+7.7%
74Humboldt County48.9+7%
77Buena Vista County48.7+5.6%
78Floyd County48.5+8%
78Pocahontas County48.5+6.4%
78Wright County48.5+7.1%
81Allamakee County48.3+7.8%
81Cerro Gordo County48.3+8.1%
81Kossuth County48.3+7.6%
84Clay County48.2+5.2%
84Fayette County48.2+8.3%
84Sioux County48.2+3.9%
87Chickasaw County48.1+7.8%
87Hancock County48.1+8.1%
87O'Brien County48.1+4.8%
87Palo Alto County48.1+6.4%
87Winneshiek County48.1+8.1%
92Mitchell County47.7+7.9%
93Worth County47.6+7.7%
94Emmet County47.5+6.5%
94Winnebago County47.5+8.2%
96Lyon County47.4+4.2%
97Dickinson County47.3+5.3%
98Howard County47.2+8.3%
99Osceola County47+4.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Mean air temperature from January to December, in degrees Fahrenheit: the average of the 12 monthly mean temperatures. NOAA computes it from its climate divisional dataset (nClimDiv): station readings interpolated onto a 5 km grid and averaged over the area.

Values are area averages, so a county with mountains and valleys has one value for very different local climates. NOAA revises the last two years every month.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (2026). NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties (Counties in Iowa by average annual temperature, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping

MLA 9

NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in Iowa by average annual temperature, 2023. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/iowa-counties?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 2026. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Counties in Iowa by average annual temperature, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/iowa-counties?period=2023.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in Iowa by average annual temperature, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/iowa-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_iowa_by_2023,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in Iowa by average annual temperature, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/iowa-counties?period=2023. Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
TI  - NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in Iowa by average annual temperature, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
PB  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/iowa-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/iowa-counties?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Iowa by average annual temperature using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest average annual temperature?

Lee County, with 53.7 °F in 2023, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Osceola County, with 47 °F in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average annual temperature: other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings