Data / Rankings / Business establishments (QCEW) / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by business establishments (QCEW)

Polk County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 98 counties in 2018, at 17,668. Taylor County had the lowest, at 184. The median was 503 and the figure for Iowa was 102,889. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest17,668Polk County
Lowest184Taylor County
Median50398 counties
Iowa102,889History

Map of counties, 2018

Adair County: 296 countAllamakee County: 475 countAppanoose County: 364 countAudubon County: 222 countBenton County: 682 countBlack Hawk County: 3,841 countBoone County: 729 countBremer County: 723 countBuchanan County: 618 countBuena Vista County: 658 countButler County: 424 countCalhoun County: 323 countCarroll County: 971 countCass County: 556 countCedar County: 576 countCerro Gordo County: 1,684 countCherokee County: 454 countChickasaw County: 437 countClarke County: 241 countClay County: 737 countClayton County: 629 countClinton County: 1,412 countCrawford County: 495 countDallas County: 2,609 countDavis County: 254 countDecatur County: 225 countDelaware County: 575 countDes Moines County: 1,376 countDickinson County: 884 countDubuque County: 3,308 countEmmet County: 336 countFayette County: 682 countFloyd County: 504 countFranklin County: 385 countFremont County: 269 countGreene County: 332 countGrundy County: 369 countGuthrie County: 374 countHamilton County: 502 countHancock County: 372 countHardin County: 690 countHarrison County: 455 countHenry County: 628 countHoward County: 340 countHumboldt County: 366 countIda County: 302 countIowa County: 728 countJackson County: 684 countJasper County: 924 countJefferson County: 781 countJohnson County: 4,283 countJones County: 636 countKeokuk County: 309 countKossuth County: 637 countLee County: 1,073 countLinn County: 6,922 countLouisa County: 270 countLucas County: 232 countLyon County: 498 countMadison County: 493 countMahaska County: 625 countMarion County: 998 countMarshall County: 1,026 countMills County: 398 countMitchell County: 388 countMonona County: 300 countMonroe County: 243 countMontgomery County: 386 countMuscatine County: 1,190 countO'Brien County: 598 countOsceola County: 255 countPage County: 488 countPalo Alto County: 352 countPlymouth County: 820 countPocahontas County: 286 countPolk County: 17,668 countPottawattamie County: 2,541 countPoweshiek County: 663 countRinggold County: 187 countSac County: 388 countScott County: 5,692 countShelby County: 444 countSioux County: 1,480 countStory County: 2,631 countTama County: 429 countTaylor County: 184 countUnion County: 433 countVan Buren County: 212 countWapello County: 880 countWarren County: 1,106 countWashington County: 782 countWayne County: 195 countWebster County: 1,206 countWinnebago County: 399 countWinneshiek County: 743 countWoodbury County: 3,237 countWorth County: 240 countWright County: 500 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,100
  • 1,100 and over
  • No data
count, 2018. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2018

Polk County: 17,668 countPolk County17,668Linn County: 6,922 countLinn County6,922Scott County: 5,692 countScott County5,692Johnson County: 4,283 countJohnson County4,283Black Hawk County: 3,841 countBlack Hawk County3,841Dubuque County: 3,308 countDubuque County3,308Woodbury County: 3,237 countWoodbury County3,237Story County: 2,631 countStory County2,631Dallas County: 2,609 countDallas County2,609Pottawattamie County: 2,541 countPottawattamie County2,541Cerro Gordo County: 1,684 countCerro Gordo County1,684Sioux County: 1,480 countSioux County1,480Clinton County: 1,412 countClinton County1,412Des Moines County: 1,376 countDes Moines County1,376Webster County: 1,206 countWebster County1,206Muscatine County: 1,190 countMuscatine County1,190Warren County: 1,106 countWarren County1,106Lee County: 1,073 countLee County1,073Marshall County: 1,026 countMarshall County1,026Marion County: 998 countMarion County998Carroll County: 971 countCarroll County971Jasper County: 924 countJasper County924Dickinson County: 884 countDickinson County884Wapello County: 880 countWapello County880Plymouth County: 820 countPlymouth County820Washington County: 782 countWashington County782Jefferson County: 781 countJefferson County781Winneshiek County: 743 countWinneshiek County743Clay County: 737 countClay County737Boone County: 729 countBoone County729Iowa County: 728 countIowa County728Bremer County: 723 countBremer County723Hardin County: 690 countHardin County690Jackson County: 684 countJackson County684Benton County: 682 countBenton County682Fayette County: 682 countFayette County682Poweshiek County: 663 countPoweshiek County663Buena Vista County: 658 countBuena Vista County658Kossuth County: 637 countKossuth County637Jones County: 636 countJones County636Polk County: 17,668 countPolk County17,668Linn County: 6,922 countLinn County6,922Scott County: 5,692 countScott County5,692Johnson County: 4,283 countJohnson County4,283Black Hawk County: 3,841 countBlack Hawk County3,841Dubuque County: 3,308 countDubuque County3,308Woodbury County: 3,237 countWoodbury County3,237Story County: 2,631 countStory County2,631Dallas County: 2,609 countDallas County2,609Pottawattamie County: 2,541 countPottawattamie County2,541Cerro Gordo County: 1,684 countCerro Gordo County1,684Sioux County: 1,480 countSioux County1,480Clinton County: 1,412 countClinton County1,412Des Moines County: 1,376 countDes Moines County1,376Webster County: 1,206 countWebster County1,206Muscatine County: 1,190 countMuscatine County1,190Warren County: 1,106 countWarren County1,106Lee County: 1,073 countLee County1,073Marshall County: 1,026 countMarshall County1,026Marion County: 998 countMarion County998Carroll County: 971 countCarroll County971Jasper County: 924 countJasper County924Dickinson County: 884 countDickinson County884Wapello County: 880 countWapello County880Plymouth County: 820 countPlymouth County820Washington County: 782 countWashington County782Jefferson County: 781 countJefferson County781Winneshiek County: 743 countWinneshiek County743Clay County: 737 countClay County737Boone County: 729 countBoone County729Iowa County: 728 countIowa County728Bremer County: 723 countBremer County723Hardin County: 690 countHardin County690Jackson County: 684 countJackson County684Benton County: 682 countBenton County682Fayette County: 682 countFayette County682Poweshiek County: 663 countPoweshiek County663Buena Vista County: 658 countBuena Vista County658Kossuth County: 637 countKossuth County637Jones County: 636 countJones County636
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018
count		Change on 2017
1Polk County17,668+2.1%
2Linn County6,922+2.1%
3Scott County5,692+1.9%
4Johnson County4,283+2.3%
5Black Hawk County3,841+1.4%
6Dubuque County3,308+1.6%
7Woodbury County3,237+1.3%
8Story County2,631+2.3%
9Dallas County2,609+5.8%
10Pottawattamie County2,541-0.7%
11Cerro Gordo County1,684+0.2%
12Sioux County1,480+2.4%
13Clinton County1,412+0.2%
14Des Moines County1,376+1.5%
15Webster County1,206-0.7%
16Muscatine County1,190+0.8%
17Warren County1,106+5.2%
18Lee County1,073-2%
19Marshall County1,026+0.3%
20Marion County998+2.3%
21Carroll County971-0.3%
22Jasper County924+0.9%
23Dickinson County884-0.6%
24Wapello County880+0.2%
25Plymouth County820-0.7%
26Washington County782+0.1%
27Jefferson County781-1%
28Winneshiek County743+1.8%
29Clay County737+1.9%
30Boone County729+2.7%
31Iowa County728+2.5%
32Bremer County723+0.1%
33Hardin County690-0.3%
34Jackson County684+0.4%
35Benton County682+1%
35Fayette County682-0.4%
37Poweshiek County663+3%
38Buena Vista County658+0.2%
39Kossuth County637+1.6%
40Jones County636+0.2%
41Clayton County629-0.2%
42Henry County628+0.2%
43Mahaska County625-0.8%
44Buchanan County618+1.8%
45O'Brien County598+1.4%
46Cedar County576+1.1%
47Delaware County575+0.2%
48Cass County556-0.2%
49Floyd County504-0.6%
50Hamilton County502+1%
51Wright County500-2.2%
52Lyon County498-0.8%
53Crawford County495-0.4%
54Madison County493+1.2%
55Page County488+0.4%
56Allamakee County475+1.3%
57Harrison County455+2.2%
58Cherokee County454+0.9%
59Shelby County444-0.2%
60Chickasaw County437-2.2%
61Union County433-0.5%
62Tama County429-2.3%
63Butler County424+0.7%
64Winnebago County399+0.5%
65Mills County398+1.5%
66Mitchell County388+1%
66Sac County388+1.3%
68Montgomery County386-0.8%
69Franklin County385-0.5%
70Guthrie County3740%
71Hancock County372-0.3%
72Grundy County369-0.3%
73Humboldt County3660%
74Appanoose County364-1.9%
75Palo Alto County352-1.4%
76Howard County340-0.3%
77Emmet County336-0.6%
78Greene County332-0.9%
79Calhoun County323-1.5%
80Keokuk County3090%
81Ida County302+2.4%
82Monona County3000%
83Adair County296+2.1%
84Pocahontas County286+0.7%
85Louisa County270+1.9%
86Fremont County269-0.4%
87Osceola County255-1.2%
88Davis County254+3.3%
89Monroe County243-1.2%
90Clarke County2410%
91Worth County240+0.8%
92Lucas County2320%
93Decatur County225-0.4%
94Audubon County222+0.5%
95Van Buren County2120%
96Wayne County195+1%
97Ringgold County187+2.2%
98Taylor County184+0.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. 1 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2018 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. 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

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Iowa by business establishments (QCEW), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Iowa by business establishments (QCEW), 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/iowa-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Iowa by business establishments (QCEW), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/iowa-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Iowa by business establishments (QCEW), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/iowa-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_iowa_by_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Iowa by business establishments (QCEW), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/iowa-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Iowa by business establishments (QCEW), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/iowa-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/iowa-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Iowa by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"establishments_qcew","level":"province","within":"Iowa","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=establishments_qcew&level=province&within=Iowa&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Polk County, with 17,668 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Taylor County, with 184 in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 1 counties have no value for 2018 and are not ranked.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings