Counties in Iowa by real GDP growth

Wright County had the highest real GDP growth of 99 counties in 2018, at 13.6%. Adams County had the lowest, at -5.5%. The median was 2% and the figure for Iowa was 1.1%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Highest13.6Wright County
Lowest-5.5Adams County
Median299 counties
Iowa1.1History

Top 40 counties, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

Wright CountyWright County: 13.6 %13.6Emmet CountyEmmet County: 10 %10Mahaska CountyMahaska County: 9.1 %9.1Wayne CountyWayne County: 8.3 %8.3Pocahontas CountyPocahontas County: 8.1 %8.1Clay CountyClay County: 8 %8Davis CountyDavis County: 7.7 %7.7Mitchell CountyMitchell County: 7.6 %7.6Winnebago CountyWinnebago County: 7.6 %7.6Clarke CountyClarke County: 7.5 %7.5Greene CountyGreene County: 7.5 %7.5Louisa CountyLouisa County: 7.5 %7.5Monroe CountyMonroe County: 6.9 %6.9Tama CountyTama County: 6.8 %6.8Union CountyUnion County: 6.1 %6.1Washington CountyWashington County: 5.8 %5.8Buena Vista CountyBuena Vista County: 5.4 %5.4Hamilton CountyHamilton County: 5.3 %5.3Boone CountyBoone County: 5.2 %5.2Iowa CountyIowa County: 5.2 %5.2Marion CountyMarion County: 5 %5Cedar CountyCedar County: 4.7 %4.7Marshall CountyMarshall County: 4.6 %4.6Cherokee CountyCherokee County: 4.3 %4.3Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 4.3 %4.3Mills CountyMills County: 4.3 %4.3Shelby CountyShelby County: 4.1 %4.1Benton CountyBenton County: 4 %4Howard CountyHoward County: 3.9 %3.9Woodbury CountyWoodbury County: 3.8 %3.8Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 3.7 %3.7Pottawattamie CountyPottawattamie County: 3.7 %3.7Poweshiek CountyPoweshiek County: 3.7 %3.7Van Buren CountyVan Buren County: 3.6 %3.6Decatur CountyDecatur County: 3.2 %3.2Hancock CountyHancock County: 3.2 %3.2Adair CountyAdair County: 3.1 %3.1Palo Alto CountyPalo Alto County: 3.1 %3.1Audubon CountyAudubon County: 3 %3Humboldt CountyHumboldt County: 2.9 %2.9
%. Source: BEA. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Wright County13.6+14 pts
2Emmet County10+8.1 pts
3Mahaska County9.1+3.8 pts
4Wayne County8.3+2.9 pts
5Pocahontas County8.1+30.9 pts
6Clay County8+7.2 pts
7Davis County7.7-6.1 pts
8Mitchell County7.6+13.4 pts
8Winnebago County7.6+9.8 pts
10Clarke County7.5+6.1 pts
10Greene County7.5-0.9 pts
10Louisa County7.5+9.4 pts
13Monroe County6.9+6.1 pts
14Tama County6.8+11.8 pts
15Union County6.1+0.8 pts
16Washington County5.8-5 pts
17Buena Vista County5.4+15.7 pts
18Hamilton County5.3+1.9 pts
19Boone County5.2+11.3 pts
19Iowa County5.2-12.1 pts
21Marion County5-5.3 pts
22Cedar County4.7+5.8 pts
23Marshall County4.6+3.7 pts
24Cherokee County4.3+8.4 pts
24Jefferson County4.3+3.8 pts
24Mills County4.3-1.2 pts
27Shelby County4.1+7.1 pts
28Benton County4+1.1 pts
29Howard County3.9+10.7 pts
30Woodbury County3.8+10.9 pts
31Calhoun County3.7+8.6 pts
31Pottawattamie County3.7+6.1 pts
31Poweshiek County3.7+5 pts
34Van Buren County3.6-3.9 pts
35Decatur County3.2-1.2 pts
35Hancock County3.2-7.6 pts
37Adair County3.1+1.2 pts
37Palo Alto County3.1-2.2 pts
39Audubon County3-7.8 pts
40Humboldt County2.9+10 pts
41Lucas County2.8+2.7 pts
42Chickasaw County2.6+11.7 pts
42Keokuk County2.6+14.5 pts
44Sac County2.5+3 pts
45Taylor County2.3-17.2 pts
46Crawford County2.2+1.2 pts
47Black Hawk County2+1 pts
47Cass County2-0.3 pts
47Ida County2-22.6 pts
47Winneshiek County2+10.2 pts
51Floyd County1.9-0.2 pts
52Linn County1.8+1.8 pts
53Osceola County1.6-14.3 pts
54Fayette County1.5-0.6 pts
54Henry County1.5-0.7 pts
54Ringgold County1.5-15.1 pts
57Kossuth County1.4+6.3 pts
58Plymouth County1.3-1 pts
58Story County1.3-3.3 pts
60Montgomery County1.2+3 pts
61Harrison County1.1+1 pts
61Sioux County1.1-5.4 pts
63Dallas County1+3.5 pts
63Guthrie County1+1.6 pts
65Bremer County0.7+2.5 pts
65Dickinson County0.7+0.3 pts
67Franklin County0.4-4.1 pts
68Johnson County0.3-5.2 pts
68Warren County0.3-2.2 pts
70Madison County0.1-0.6 pts
70Polk County0.1+1.5 pts
72Clayton County0-4 pts
73Grundy County-0.1+0.3 pts
74Dubuque County-0.2-4.9 pts
74Page County-0.2-0.4 pts
76Jasper County-0.5-1.7 pts
77Lee County-0.7+6.2 pts
78Appanoose County-0.9-1.2 pts
79Jones County-1.1-0.8 pts
79Muscatine County-1.1-3.6 pts
79Scott County-1.1-4 pts
82Cerro Gordo County-1.2+5.3 pts
83Clinton County-1.3-0.3 pts
83Worth County-1.3+15.1 pts
85Hardin County-1.4-1.5 pts
86Buchanan County-1.7-4 pts
87Butler County-2-7.8 pts
87Wapello County-2-2.5 pts
89Monona County-2.1-7.5 pts
90Carroll County-2.2-2.6 pts
91O'Brien County-2.3-5.1 pts
92Webster County-2.6+0.6 pts
93Des Moines County-2.9-2 pts
94Allamakee County-3.1+4.3 pts
95Jackson County-3.2+3.7 pts
96Lyon County-3.5-13.8 pts
97Fremont County-3.8+8 pts
98Delaware County-4-6.2 pts
99Adams County-5.5-0.7 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Annual percentage change of GDP in chain-linked volumes, or at constant prices in the World Bank series.

Each value comes from one official source for that place: national statistics offices, Eurostat, for the United States the Bureau of Economic Analysis or, for other countries and the World, the World Bank. Annual values compare one calendar year with the previous one; quarterly values compare a quarter with the same quarter a year earlier. Past values can be revised. United States figures come from BEA tables SAGDP11 for the nation and states and CAGDP11 for counties. Growth in small counties can swing widely from year to year.

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 Economic Analysis. CAGDP11: annual percent change in real GDP, all industry total, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAGDP11.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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 real GDP growth using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"gdp_growth","level":"province","within":"Iowa","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=gdp_growth&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 real GDP growth?

Wright County, with 13.6% in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest real GDP growth?

Adams County, with -5.5% 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 Economic Analysis, CAGDP11: annual percent change in real GDP, all industry total, individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Real GDP growth: other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings