Data / Rankings / Covered employment (QCEW) / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by covered employment (QCEW)

Polk County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 99 counties in 2024, at 317,845 jobs. Adams County had the lowest, at 1,187 jobs. The median was 5,910 jobs and the figure for Iowa was 1,562,561 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest317,845Polk County
Lowest1,187Adams County
Median5,91099 counties
Iowa1,562,561History

Map of counties, 2024

Adair County: 3,038 jobsAdams County: 1,187 jobsAllamakee County: 4,837 jobsAppanoose County: 4,614 jobsAudubon County: 1,833 jobsBenton County: 6,069 jobsBlack Hawk County: 70,886 jobsBoone County: 8,930 jobsBremer County: 9,685 jobsBuchanan County: 6,619 jobsBuena Vista County: 10,683 jobsButler County: 3,691 jobsCalhoun County: 2,788 jobsCarroll County: 10,978 jobsCass County: 5,866 jobsCedar County: 5,170 jobsCerro Gordo County: 23,531 jobsCherokee County: 4,858 jobsChickasaw County: 5,115 jobsClarke County: 4,701 jobsClay County: 8,534 jobsClayton County: 6,230 jobsClinton County: 19,273 jobsCrawford County: 6,524 jobsDallas County: 55,258 jobsDavis County: 2,105 jobsDecatur County: 2,269 jobsDelaware County: 6,669 jobsDes Moines County: 19,833 jobsDickinson County: 10,008 jobsDubuque County: 58,413 jobsEmmet County: 3,286 jobsFayette County: 6,964 jobsFloyd County: 5,716 jobsFranklin County: 3,982 jobsFremont County: 2,197 jobsGreene County: 3,206 jobsGrundy County: 4,147 jobsGuthrie County: 3,271 jobsHamilton County: 5,798 jobsHancock County: 5,982 jobsHardin County: 6,483 jobsHarrison County: 3,990 jobsHenry County: 8,137 jobsHoward County: 4,402 jobsHumboldt County: 3,810 jobsIda County: 3,584 jobsIowa County: 9,039 jobsJackson County: 5,869 jobsJasper County: 10,453 jobsJefferson County: 7,185 jobsJohnson County: 83,750 jobsJones County: 6,253 jobsKeokuk County: 2,292 jobsKossuth County: 6,565 jobsLee County: 13,719 jobsLinn County: 125,917 jobsLouisa County: 3,891 jobsLucas County: 3,351 jobsLyon County: 4,794 jobsMadison County: 4,235 jobsMahaska County: 7,887 jobsMarion County: 19,680 jobsMarshall County: 16,042 jobsMills County: 3,361 jobsMitchell County: 3,874 jobsMonona County: 2,530 jobsMonroe County: 3,718 jobsMontgomery County: 4,087 jobsMuscatine County: 21,234 jobsO'Brien County: 6,603 jobsOsceola County: 2,676 jobsPage County: 6,375 jobsPalo Alto County: 3,615 jobsPlymouth County: 11,726 jobsPocahontas County: 2,644 jobsPolk County: 317,845 jobsPottawattamie County: 41,403 jobsPoweshiek County: 9,584 jobsRinggold County: 1,394 jobsSac County: 2,969 jobsScott County: 90,947 jobsShelby County: 5,460 jobsSioux County: 22,957 jobsStory County: 47,549 jobsTama County: 5,356 jobsTaylor County: 2,030 jobsUnion County: 5,910 jobsVan Buren County: 1,923 jobsWapello County: 15,384 jobsWarren County: 13,125 jobsWashington County: 8,558 jobsWayne County: 2,099 jobsWebster County: 17,547 jobsWinnebago County: 4,041 jobsWinneshiek County: 10,479 jobsWoodbury County: 51,281 jobsWorth County: 2,302 jobsWright County: 6,237 jobs
  • Under 3,000
  • 3,000 to 4,000
  • 4,000 to 6,000
  • 6,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 17K
  • 17K and over
jobs, 2024. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2024

Polk County: 317,845 jobsPolk County317,845Linn County: 125,917 jobsLinn County125,917Scott County: 90,947 jobsScott County90,947Johnson County: 83,750 jobsJohnson County83,750Black Hawk County: 70,886 jobsBlack Hawk County70,886Dubuque County: 58,413 jobsDubuque County58,413Dallas County: 55,258 jobsDallas County55,258Woodbury County: 51,281 jobsWoodbury County51,281Story County: 47,549 jobsStory County47,549Pottawattamie County: 41,403 jobsPottawattamie County41,403Cerro Gordo County: 23,531 jobsCerro Gordo County23,531Sioux County: 22,957 jobsSioux County22,957Muscatine County: 21,234 jobsMuscatine County21,234Des Moines County: 19,833 jobsDes Moines County19,833Marion County: 19,680 jobsMarion County19,680Clinton County: 19,273 jobsClinton County19,273Webster County: 17,547 jobsWebster County17,547Marshall County: 16,042 jobsMarshall County16,042Wapello County: 15,384 jobsWapello County15,384Lee County: 13,719 jobsLee County13,719Warren County: 13,125 jobsWarren County13,125Plymouth County: 11,726 jobsPlymouth County11,726Carroll County: 10,978 jobsCarroll County10,978Buena Vista County: 10,683 jobsBuena Vista County10,683Winneshiek County: 10,479 jobsWinneshiek County10,479Jasper County: 10,453 jobsJasper County10,453Dickinson County: 10,008 jobsDickinson County10,008Bremer County: 9,685 jobsBremer County9,685Poweshiek County: 9,584 jobsPoweshiek County9,584Iowa County: 9,039 jobsIowa County9,039Boone County: 8,930 jobsBoone County8,930Washington County: 8,558 jobsWashington County8,558Clay County: 8,534 jobsClay County8,534Henry County: 8,137 jobsHenry County8,137Mahaska County: 7,887 jobsMahaska County7,887Jefferson County: 7,185 jobsJefferson County7,185Fayette County: 6,964 jobsFayette County6,964Delaware County: 6,669 jobsDelaware County6,669Buchanan County: 6,619 jobsBuchanan County6,619O'Brien County: 6,603 jobsO'Brien County6,603Polk County: 317,845 jobsPolk County317,845Linn County: 125,917 jobsLinn County125,917Scott County: 90,947 jobsScott County90,947Johnson County: 83,750 jobsJohnson County83,750Black Hawk County: 70,886 jobsBlack Hawk County70,886Dubuque County: 58,413 jobsDubuque County58,413Dallas County: 55,258 jobsDallas County55,258Woodbury County: 51,281 jobsWoodbury County51,281Story County: 47,549 jobsStory County47,549Pottawattamie County: 41,403 jobsPottawattamie County41,403Cerro Gordo County: 23,531 jobsCerro Gordo County23,531Sioux County: 22,957 jobsSioux County22,957Muscatine County: 21,234 jobsMuscatine County21,234Des Moines County: 19,833 jobsDes Moines County19,833Marion County: 19,680 jobsMarion County19,680Clinton County: 19,273 jobsClinton County19,273Webster County: 17,547 jobsWebster County17,547Marshall County: 16,042 jobsMarshall County16,042Wapello County: 15,384 jobsWapello County15,384Lee County: 13,719 jobsLee County13,719Warren County: 13,125 jobsWarren County13,125Plymouth County: 11,726 jobsPlymouth County11,726Carroll County: 10,978 jobsCarroll County10,978Buena Vista County: 10,683 jobsBuena Vista County10,683Winneshiek County: 10,479 jobsWinneshiek County10,479Jasper County: 10,453 jobsJasper County10,453Dickinson County: 10,008 jobsDickinson County10,008Bremer County: 9,685 jobsBremer County9,685Poweshiek County: 9,584 jobsPoweshiek County9,584Iowa County: 9,039 jobsIowa County9,039Boone County: 8,930 jobsBoone County8,930Washington County: 8,558 jobsWashington County8,558Clay County: 8,534 jobsClay County8,534Henry County: 8,137 jobsHenry County8,137Mahaska County: 7,887 jobsMahaska County7,887Jefferson County: 7,185 jobsJefferson County7,185Fayette County: 6,964 jobsFayette County6,964Delaware County: 6,669 jobsDelaware County6,669Buchanan County: 6,619 jobsBuchanan County6,619O'Brien County: 6,603 jobsO'Brien County6,603
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024
jobs		Change on 2023
1Polk County317,845+1.3%
2Linn County125,917-0.7%
3Scott County90,947+1.2%
4Johnson County83,750+0.7%
5Black Hawk County70,886-1.6%
6Dubuque County58,413-0.2%
7Dallas County55,258+4.7%
8Woodbury County51,281-0.2%
9Story County47,549-0.3%
10Pottawattamie County41,403+3.7%
11Cerro Gordo County23,531+1.5%
12Sioux County22,957+2.2%
13Muscatine County21,234-2.4%
14Des Moines County19,833+0.2%
15Marion County19,680+1.4%
16Clinton County19,273-0.6%
17Webster County17,547+0.2%
18Marshall County16,042+1.8%
19Wapello County15,384+1.1%
20Lee County13,719-0.7%
21Warren County13,125+3.2%
22Plymouth County11,726-0.6%
23Carroll County10,978-0%
24Buena Vista County10,683-3%
25Winneshiek County10,479+1.7%
26Jasper County10,453+2.6%
27Dickinson County10,008-2.7%
28Bremer County9,685-1%
29Poweshiek County9,584+0.7%
30Iowa County9,039-0.6%
31Boone County8,930+0.7%
32Washington County8,558+2.8%
33Clay County8,534-1.1%
34Henry County8,137-4.5%
35Mahaska County7,887+1.2%
36Jefferson County7,185-3.2%
37Fayette County6,964-0.6%
38Delaware County6,669+2.4%
39Buchanan County6,619-0.3%
40O'Brien County6,603+1.1%
41Kossuth County6,565+0.9%
42Crawford County6,524+1.8%
43Hardin County6,483-2.1%
44Page County6,375-1.7%
45Jones County6,253-0.5%
46Wright County6,237+4.4%
47Clayton County6,230-0.6%
48Benton County6,069+3.1%
49Hancock County5,982+0.1%
50Union County5,910+2.9%
51Jackson County5,869-1.5%
52Cass County5,866-0.8%
53Hamilton County5,798-0.4%
54Floyd County5,716-1.4%
55Shelby County5,460-0.5%
56Tama County5,356-0.1%
57Cedar County5,170+2.9%
58Chickasaw County5,115+1%
59Cherokee County4,858+0.3%
60Allamakee County4,837-0.8%
61Lyon County4,794+2%
62Clarke County4,701+0.8%
63Appanoose County4,614+0.6%
64Howard County4,402+1.9%
65Madison County4,235+2%
66Grundy County4,1470%
67Montgomery County4,087+0.1%
68Winnebago County4,041+0.6%
69Harrison County3,990+1.7%
70Franklin County3,982+0.4%
71Louisa County3,891-0.1%
72Mitchell County3,874-4.9%
73Humboldt County3,810+1.4%
74Monroe County3,718-2.3%
75Butler County3,691-3.2%
76Palo Alto County3,615+1.9%
77Ida County3,584-1.4%
78Mills County3,361-2.5%
79Lucas County3,351-2.1%
80Emmet County3,286+0.7%
81Guthrie County3,271+2.6%
82Greene County3,206-1.1%
83Adair County3,038+0.1%
84Sac County2,969-1.6%
85Calhoun County2,788+0.8%
86Osceola County2,676-0.7%
87Pocahontas County2,644-4.3%
88Monona County2,530-1.2%
89Worth County2,302+2.3%
90Keokuk County2,292+0.4%
91Decatur County2,269-4.8%
92Fremont County2,197-0.8%
93Davis County2,105-3.8%
94Wayne County2,099+0.6%
95Taylor County2,030+2.2%
96Van Buren County1,923+2%
97Audubon County1,833-0.3%
98Ringgold County1,394+2.1%
99Adams County1,187-4.7%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of 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. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Iowa by covered employment (QCEW), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Iowa by covered employment (QCEW), 2024. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/iowa-counties?period=2024. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Iowa by covered employment (QCEW), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/iowa-counties?period=2024.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Iowa by covered employment (QCEW), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/iowa-counties?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_iowa_by_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Iowa by covered employment (QCEW), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/iowa-counties?period=2024. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Iowa by covered employment (QCEW), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/iowa-counties?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/iowa-counties?period=2024.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Polk County, with 317,845 jobs in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Adams County, with 1,187 jobs in 2024.

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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings