Data / Rankings / Establishment exit rate / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by establishment exit rate

Wayne County had the highest establishment exit rate of 98 counties in 2012, at 13.971%. Howard County had the lowest, at 3.822%. The median was 7.093% and the figure for Iowa was 7.399%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest13.971Wayne County
Lowest3.822Howard County
Median7.09398 counties
Iowa7.399History

Map of counties, 2012

Adair County: 5.063 %Allamakee County: 5.571 %Appanoose County: 10.017 %Audubon County: 9.756 %Benton County: 5.058 %Black Hawk County: 7.597 %Boone County: 8.419 %Bremer County: 5.057 %Buchanan County: 8.889 %Buena Vista County: 5.917 %Butler County: 5.145 %Calhoun County: 4.702 %Carroll County: 5.755 %Cass County: 6.081 %Cedar County: 5.411 %Cerro Gordo County: 4.771 %Cherokee County: 5.556 %Chickasaw County: 4.507 %Clarke County: 6.145 %Clay County: 6.633 %Clayton County: 6.751 %Clinton County: 7.911 %Crawford County: 8 %Dallas County: 7.279 %Davis County: 9.302 %Decatur County: 7.38 %Delaware County: 6.828 %Des Moines County: 6.87 %Dickinson County: 8.282 %Dubuque County: 5.589 %Emmet County: 8.475 %Fayette County: 6.22 %Floyd County: 7.031 %Franklin County: 6.179 %Fremont County: 11.448 %Greene County: 5.761 %Grundy County: 5.694 %Guthrie County: 8.661 %Hamilton County: 7.537 %Hancock County: 8.647 %Hardin County: 5.195 %Harrison County: 6.116 %Henry County: 7.059 %Howard County: 3.822 %Humboldt County: 8.191 %Ida County: 7.054 %Iowa County: 7.264 %Jackson County: 7.216 %Jasper County: 7.21 %Jefferson County: 8.754 %Johnson County: 6.95 %Jones County: 6.402 %Keokuk County: 5.621 %Kossuth County: 6.048 %Lee County: 7.226 %Linn County: 7.621 %Louisa County: 7.671 %Lucas County: 12.537 %Lyon County: 5.413 %Madison County: 7.077 %Mahaska County: 7.024 %Marion County: 8.261 %Marshall County: 8.538 %Mills County: 7.692 %Mitchell County: 6.897 %Monona County: 9.955 %Monroe County: 9.222 %Montgomery County: 6.803 %Muscatine County: 8.671 %O'Brien County: 7.543 %Osceola County: 7.927 %Page County: 6.023 %Palo Alto County: 5.736 %Plymouth County: 6.902 %Pocahontas County: 9.804 %Polk County: 8.493 %Pottawattamie County: 8.651 %Poweshiek County: 8.835 %Ringgold County: 6.78 %Sac County: 6.159 %Scott County: 7.502 %Shelby County: 5.676 %Sioux County: 5.647 %Story County: 8.634 %Tama County: 9.82 %Taylor County: 8.23 %Union County: 7.547 %Van Buren County: 6.452 %Wapello County: 8.898 %Warren County: 9.696 %Washington County: 7.109 %Wayne County: 13.971 %Webster County: 8.004 %Winnebago County: 6.731 %Winneshiek County: 5.991 %Woodbury County: 7.44 %Worth County: 5.505 %Wright County: 8.547 %
  • Under 5.7
  • 5.7 to 6.4
  • 6.4 to 7.1
  • 7.1 to 7.8
  • 7.8 to 8.7
  • 8.7 and over
  • No data
%, 2012. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2012

Wayne County: 13.971 %Wayne County13.971Lucas County: 12.537 %Lucas County12.537Fremont County: 11.448 %Fremont County11.448Appanoose County: 10.017 %Appanoose County10.017Monona County: 9.955 %Monona County9.955Tama County: 9.82 %Tama County9.82Pocahontas County: 9.804 %Pocahontas County9.804Audubon County: 9.756 %Audubon County9.756Warren County: 9.696 %Warren County9.696Davis County: 9.302 %Davis County9.302Monroe County: 9.222 %Monroe County9.222Wapello County: 8.898 %Wapello County8.898Buchanan County: 8.889 %Buchanan County8.889Poweshiek County: 8.835 %Poweshiek County8.835Jefferson County: 8.754 %Jefferson County8.754Muscatine County: 8.671 %Muscatine County8.671Guthrie County: 8.661 %Guthrie County8.661Pottawattamie County: 8.651 %Pottawattamie County8.651Hancock County: 8.647 %Hancock County8.647Story County: 8.634 %Story County8.634Wright County: 8.547 %Wright County8.547Marshall County: 8.538 %Marshall County8.538Polk County: 8.493 %Polk County8.493Emmet County: 8.475 %Emmet County8.475Boone County: 8.419 %Boone County8.419Dickinson County: 8.282 %Dickinson County8.282Marion County: 8.261 %Marion County8.261Taylor County: 8.23 %Taylor County8.23Humboldt County: 8.191 %Humboldt County8.191Webster County: 8.004 %Webster County8.004Crawford County: 8 %Crawford County8Osceola County: 7.927 %Osceola County7.927Clinton County: 7.911 %Clinton County7.911Mills County: 7.692 %Mills County7.692Louisa County: 7.671 %Louisa County7.671Linn County: 7.621 %Linn County7.621Black Hawk County: 7.597 %Black Hawk County7.597Union County: 7.547 %Union County7.547O'Brien County: 7.543 %O'Brien County7.543Hamilton County: 7.537 %Hamilton County7.537Wayne County: 13.971 %Wayne County13.971Lucas County: 12.537 %Lucas County12.537Fremont County: 11.448 %Fremont County11.448Appanoose County: 10.017 %Appanoose County10.017Monona County: 9.955 %Monona County9.955Tama County: 9.82 %Tama County9.82Pocahontas County: 9.804 %Pocahontas County9.804Audubon County: 9.756 %Audubon County9.756Warren County: 9.696 %Warren County9.696Davis County: 9.302 %Davis County9.302Monroe County: 9.222 %Monroe County9.222Wapello County: 8.898 %Wapello County8.898Buchanan County: 8.889 %Buchanan County8.889Poweshiek County: 8.835 %Poweshiek County8.835Jefferson County: 8.754 %Jefferson County8.754Muscatine County: 8.671 %Muscatine County8.671Guthrie County: 8.661 %Guthrie County8.661Pottawattamie County: 8.651 %Pottawattamie County8.651Hancock County: 8.647 %Hancock County8.647Story County: 8.634 %Story County8.634Wright County: 8.547 %Wright County8.547Marshall County: 8.538 %Marshall County8.538Polk County: 8.493 %Polk County8.493Emmet County: 8.475 %Emmet County8.475Boone County: 8.419 %Boone County8.419Dickinson County: 8.282 %Dickinson County8.282Marion County: 8.261 %Marion County8.261Taylor County: 8.23 %Taylor County8.23Humboldt County: 8.191 %Humboldt County8.191Webster County: 8.004 %Webster County8.004Crawford County: 8 %Crawford County8Osceola County: 7.927 %Osceola County7.927Clinton County: 7.911 %Clinton County7.911Mills County: 7.692 %Mills County7.692Louisa County: 7.671 %Louisa County7.671Linn County: 7.621 %Linn County7.621Black Hawk County: 7.597 %Black Hawk County7.597Union County: 7.547 %Union County7.547O'Brien County: 7.543 %O'Brien County7.543Hamilton County: 7.537 %Hamilton County7.537
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2012 (%)Change on 2011
1Wayne County13.971+9.02 pts
2Lucas County12.537+4.37 pts
3Fremont County11.448+2.15 pts
4Appanoose County10.017+1.06 pts
5Monona County9.955+1.14 pts
6Tama County9.82+1.83 pts
7Pocahontas County9.804+3.17 pts
8Audubon County9.756+1.92 pts
9Warren County9.696+0.41 pts
10Davis County9.302-3.73 pts
11Monroe County9.222+1.71 pts
12Wapello County8.898+0.21 pts
13Buchanan County8.889+2.24 pts
14Poweshiek County8.835-0.85 pts
15Jefferson County8.754-2.42 pts
16Muscatine County8.671-0.19 pts
17Guthrie County8.661+3.83 pts
18Pottawattamie County8.651+1.71 pts
19Hancock County8.647-0.98 pts
20Story County8.634+1.06 pts
21Wright County8.547+3.39 pts
22Marshall County8.538+2.08 pts
23Polk County8.493-0.39 pts
24Emmet County8.475+2.06 pts
25Boone County8.419+1.58 pts
26Dickinson County8.282-2.08 pts
27Marion County8.261+0.49 pts
28Taylor County8.23+0.94 pts
29Humboldt County8.191+2.49 pts
30Webster County8.004+0.55 pts
31Crawford County8+0.17 pts
32Osceola County7.927-3.8 pts
33Clinton County7.911-0.8 pts
34Mills County7.692-0.81 pts
35Louisa County7.671+1.63 pts
36Linn County7.621-0.55 pts
37Black Hawk County7.597+0.75 pts
38Union County7.547+1.57 pts
39O'Brien County7.543+2.13 pts
40Hamilton County7.537+0.01 pts
41Scott County7.502+0.3 pts
42Woodbury County7.44-0.53 pts
43Decatur County7.38-2.73 pts
44Dallas County7.279-1.18 pts
45Iowa County7.264+1.3 pts
46Lee County7.226-2.15 pts
47Jackson County7.216-1.36 pts
48Jasper County7.21-2.62 pts
49Washington County7.109+0.2 pts
50Madison County7.077-2.75 pts
51Henry County7.059+1.21 pts
52Ida County7.054-1.13 pts
53Floyd County7.031+2.6 pts
54Mahaska County7.024-2.22 pts
55Johnson County6.95-1.31 pts
56Plymouth County6.902-0.89 pts
57Mitchell County6.897+0.65 pts
58Des Moines County6.87+0.49 pts
59Delaware County6.828-1.42 pts
60Montgomery County6.803-1.57 pts
61Ringgold County6.78+2.47 pts
62Clayton County6.751-1.43 pts
63Winnebago County6.731+1.87 pts
64Clay County6.633-0.27 pts
65Van Buren County6.452-2.83 pts
66Jones County6.402-1.56 pts
67Fayette County6.22-2.58 pts
68Franklin County6.179-1.02 pts
69Sac County6.159-1.28 pts
70Clarke County6.145-2.7 pts
71Harrison County6.116-0.11 pts
72Cass County6.081-0.96 pts
73Kossuth County6.048-1.9 pts
74Page County6.023-0.48 pts
75Winneshiek County5.991-1.04 pts
76Buena Vista County5.917-0.69 pts
77Greene County5.761-0.41 pts
78Carroll County5.755-1.89 pts
79Palo Alto County5.736-1.46 pts
80Grundy County5.694-0.46 pts
81Shelby County5.676-2.79 pts
82Sioux County5.647+0.51 pts
83Keokuk County5.621-1.39 pts
84Dubuque County5.589-2.31 pts
85Allamakee County5.571-2.92 pts
86Cherokee County5.556-0.58 pts
87Worth County5.505-1.9 pts
88Lyon County5.413-0.37 pts
89Cedar County5.411-3.88 pts
90Hardin County5.195-1.68 pts
91Butler County5.145+0.56 pts
92Adair County5.063-0.58 pts
93Benton County5.058-2.45 pts
94Bremer County5.057-1.59 pts
95Cerro Gordo County4.771-3.55 pts
96Calhoun County4.702-4.29 pts
97Chickasaw County4.507-4.58 pts
98Howard County3.822-6.22 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Establishments that closed during the year (employees a year earlier and none in March of the year), as a percentage of the average number of establishments in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

Counts closed locations, including branches of firms that keep operating elsewhere, so it is not a firm failure rate. Not comparable with enterprise_death_rate, which counts enterprise deaths in Europe. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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 2012 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Iowa by establishment exit rate, 2012) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Iowa by establishment exit rate, 2012. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/iowa-counties?period=2012. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Iowa by establishment exit rate, 2012. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/iowa-counties?period=2012.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Iowa by establishment exit rate, 2012 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/iowa-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_iowa_by_2012,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Iowa by establishment exit rate, 2012}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/iowa-counties?period=2012. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Iowa by establishment exit rate, 2012
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/iowa-counties?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/iowa-counties?period=2012.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest establishment exit rate?

Wayne County, with 13.971% in 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment exit rate?

Howard County, with 3.822% in 2012.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 1 counties have no value for 2012 and are not ranked.

Establishment exit rate: other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings