Counties in Iowa by share of adults with a bachelor's degree

Johnson County had the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree of 99 counties in 2022, at 54.1%. Osceola County had the lowest, at 14.2%. The median was 21.4% and the figure for Iowa was 30.3%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest54.1Johnson County
Lowest14.2Osceola County
Median21.499 counties
Iowa30.3History

Top 40 counties, 2022

CSVChart (SVG)

Johnson CountyJohnson County: 54.1 %54.1Story CountyStory County: 52.5 %52.5Dallas CountyDallas County: 51.5 %51.5Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 39.5 %39.5Polk CountyPolk County: 38.9 %38.9Scott CountyScott County: 34.9 %34.9Linn CountyLinn County: 34.6 %34.6Bremer CountyBremer County: 34 %34Dickinson CountyDickinson County: 32.7 %32.7Warren CountyWarren County: 32.2 %32.2Dubuque CountyDubuque County: 32 %32Marion CountyMarion County: 31.7 %31.7Sioux CountySioux County: 31.3 %31.3Mills CountyMills County: 30.5 %30.5Winneshiek CountyWinneshiek County: 30.5 %30.5Black Hawk CountyBlack Hawk County: 30 %30Poweshiek CountyPoweshiek County: 28.9 %28.9Boone CountyBoone County: 26.4 %26.4Grundy CountyGrundy County: 26.1 %26.1Clay CountyClay County: 26 %26Winnebago CountyWinnebago County: 25.9 %25.9Madison CountyMadison County: 25.8 %25.8Decatur CountyDecatur County: 24.9 %24.9Washington CountyWashington County: 24.4 %24.4Union CountyUnion County: 24.1 %24.1Plymouth CountyPlymouth County: 24.1 %24.1Cerro Gordo CountyCerro Gordo County: 24 %24Woodbury CountyWoodbury County: 24 %24Pottawattamie CountyPottawattamie County: 23.4 %23.4Des Moines CountyDes Moines County: 23.3 %23.3Benton CountyBenton County: 23.3 %23.3Muscatine CountyMuscatine County: 23.2 %23.2Henry CountyHenry County: 22.8 %22.8Shelby CountyShelby County: 22.8 %22.8Iowa CountyIowa County: 22.8 %22.8Monroe CountyMonroe County: 22.7 %22.7Ringgold CountyRinggold County: 22.6 %22.6Hamilton CountyHamilton County: 22.5 %22.5Jones CountyJones County: 22.5 %22.5Mahaska CountyMahaska County: 22.4 %22.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Johnson County54.1+0.1 pts
2Story County52.5+1.5 pts
3Dallas County51.5+1.1 pts
4Jefferson County39.5+1.2 pts
5Polk County38.9+0.9 pts
6Scott County34.9+1.3 pts
7Linn County34.6+0.3 pts
8Bremer County34+0.3 pts
9Dickinson County32.7+1.2 pts
10Warren County32.2-0.2 pts
11Dubuque County32-0.1 pts
12Marion County31.7+0.8 pts
13Sioux County31.3+0.2 pts
14Mills County30.5+1.9 pts
14Winneshiek County30.5-0.1 pts
16Black Hawk County30+0.4 pts
17Poweshiek County28.9-0.8 pts
18Boone County26.4+0.8 pts
19Grundy County26.1+0.2 pts
20Clay County26+2.2 pts
21Winnebago County25.9+1.8 pts
22Madison County25.8+1.1 pts
23Decatur County24.9-1.6 pts
24Washington County24.4+0.8 pts
25Union County24.1+1.3 pts
26Plymouth County24.1+0.3 pts
27Cerro Gordo County24+0.1 pts
28Woodbury County24+0.6 pts
29Pottawattamie County23.4+0.6 pts
30Des Moines County23.3+1.4 pts
31Benton County23.3+1.7 pts
32Muscatine County23.2+0.3 pts
33Henry County22.8+1.1 pts
34Shelby County22.8+0.8 pts
35Iowa County22.8-0.3 pts
36Monroe County22.7+2.9 pts
37Ringgold County22.6+2.3 pts
38Hamilton County22.5-1.7 pts
39Jones County22.5+0.8 pts
40Mahaska County22.4+1.4 pts
41Carroll County22.1-0 pts
42Cherokee County21.7+0.3 pts
43Audubon County21.7+0.2 pts
44Guthrie County21.7+1.1 pts
44Sac County21.7+3.6 pts
46Buena Vista County21.6-0 pts
47Clinton County21.6+0.3 pts
48O'Brien County21.6+0.3 pts
49Adams County21.4-0.8 pts
49Mitchell County21.4-0 pts
51Calhoun County21.4+0.5 pts
52Buchanan County21.1-0.3 pts
53Marshall County21+0.3 pts
53Wright County21+1.6 pts
55Cedar County20.9-0.9 pts
56Cass County20.9-0.1 pts
57Hardin County20.8+1.1 pts
58Webster County20.7+0.8 pts
59Harrison County20.6+1.3 pts
60Lee County20.3+1.1 pts
61Hancock County20.2-0.1 pts
62Palo Alto County20.2-3.1 pts
63Kossuth County19.9+1 pts
64Greene County19.7-0.8 pts
64Ida County19.7+0.4 pts
66Jasper County19.7+0.5 pts
67Worth County19.5-0.5 pts
68Lyon County19.4+0.1 pts
69Butler County19.4+0.3 pts
70Howard County19.2+1 pts
71Fremont County19.2+1.2 pts
72Adair County19-0.4 pts
73Davis County19-0.2 pts
74Appanoose County18.8-0.1 pts
75Chickasaw County18.6+0.3 pts
76Montgomery County18.6-0.1 pts
77Franklin County18.5+0.5 pts
78Delaware County18.5-0.3 pts
79Wapello County18.5-0.6 pts
80Allamakee County18.5+1.1 pts
80Van Buren County18.5+2.2 pts
82Jackson County18.4-0.9 pts
83Humboldt County18.4+0.1 pts
84Tama County18.3+1.8 pts
85Floyd County18.2-2.1 pts
86Page County17.7+0.4 pts
87Clayton County17.2-0.2 pts
87Fayette County17.2-0 pts
89Pocahontas County17.1-0.1 pts
90Keokuk County16.4-0.7 pts
91Crawford County16.1-0.7 pts
92Monona County15.7+0.7 pts
93Taylor County15.5-1.7 pts
94Clarke County15.3+0.6 pts
95Emmet County15.2-1.1 pts
96Wayne County15-0.1 pts
97Lucas County14.9-0.1 pts
98Louisa County14.4-0.9 pts
99Osceola County14.2-2.9 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 and over whose highest degree is a bachelor's, master's, professional school or doctorate degree, as a percentage of all people aged 25 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Excludes associate degrees and college without a degree. Not comparable with EU tertiary attainment, which includes short-cycle tertiary education and usually covers ages 25 to 64. Calculated from counts in ACS table B15003, which are stored as inputs.

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

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

Which county has the highest share of adults with a bachelor's degree?

Johnson County, with 54.1% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest share of adults with a bachelor's degree?

Osceola County, with 14.2% in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a bachelor's degree or higher as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over: other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings