Data / Rankings / Area median family income (HUD) / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by area median family income (HUD)

Story County had the highest area median family income (HUD) of 99 counties in 2020, at $104,300. Decatur County had the lowest, at $53,500. The median was $71,500. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

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Highest104,300Story County
Lowest53,500Decatur County
Median71,50099 counties

Map of counties, 2020

Adair County: 66,600 USDAdams County: 65,700 USDAllamakee County: 68,400 USDAppanoose County: 57,200 USDAudubon County: 65,700 USDBenton County: 85,100 USDBlack Hawk County: 71,600 USDBoone County: 77,700 USDBremer County: 87,600 USDBuchanan County: 79,200 USDBuena Vista County: 68,600 USDButler County: 71,600 USDCalhoun County: 63,000 USDCarroll County: 78,500 USDCass County: 61,600 USDCedar County: 82,500 USDCerro Gordo County: 71,700 USDCherokee County: 73,200 USDChickasaw County: 73,200 USDClarke County: 66,000 USDClay County: 68,500 USDClayton County: 69,500 USDClinton County: 71,700 USDCrawford County: 63,100 USDDallas County: 89,200 USDDavis County: 71,000 USDDecatur County: 53,500 USDDelaware County: 76,900 USDDes Moines County: 64,700 USDDickinson County: 83,400 USDDubuque County: 82,900 USDEmmet County: 71,600 USDFayette County: 63,900 USDFloyd County: 67,100 USDFranklin County: 61,200 USDFremont County: 70,100 USDGreene County: 71,100 USDGrundy County: 71,600 USDGuthrie County: 89,200 USDHamilton County: 73,400 USDHancock County: 71,500 USDHardin County: 74,400 USDHarrison County: 87,000 USDHenry County: 66,900 USDHoward County: 66,200 USDHumboldt County: 67,900 USDIda County: 73,200 USDIowa County: 76,400 USDJackson County: 66,300 USDJasper County: 72,800 USDJefferson County: 66,200 USDJohnson County: 101,200 USDJones County: 76,200 USDKeokuk County: 69,200 USDKossuth County: 73,600 USDLee County: 64,400 USDLinn County: 85,200 USDLouisa County: 71,800 USDLucas County: 67,100 USDLyon County: 74,200 USDMadison County: 89,200 USDMahaska County: 65,100 USDMarion County: 76,400 USDMarshall County: 67,200 USDMills County: 87,000 USDMitchell County: 70,700 USDMonona County: 63,900 USDMonroe County: 66,900 USDMontgomery County: 59,300 USDMuscatine County: 73,100 USDO'Brien County: 76,300 USDOsceola County: 68,700 USDPage County: 64,900 USDPalo Alto County: 71,200 USDPlymouth County: 79,100 USDPocahontas County: 67,000 USDPolk County: 89,200 USDPottawattamie County: 87,000 USDPoweshiek County: 73,000 USDRinggold County: 62,200 USDSac County: 71,000 USDScott County: 75,400 USDShelby County: 72,500 USDSioux County: 80,600 USDStory County: 104,300 USDTama County: 71,600 USDTaylor County: 62,400 USDUnion County: 66,800 USDVan Buren County: 64,600 USDWapello County: 58,700 USDWarren County: 89,200 USDWashington County: 78,200 USDWayne County: 58,200 USDWebster County: 62,700 USDWinnebago County: 67,100 USDWinneshiek County: 80,700 USDWoodbury County: 75,200 USDWorth County: 68,100 USDWright County: 64,000 USD
  • Under 65K
  • 65K to 67K
  • 67K to 72K
  • 72K to 73K
  • 73K to 81K
  • 81K and over
USD, 2020. Source: HUD, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2020

Story County: 104,300 USDStory County104,300Johnson County: 101,200 USDJohnson County101,200Dallas County: 89,200 USDDallas County89,200Guthrie County: 89,200 USDGuthrie County89,200Madison County: 89,200 USDMadison County89,200Polk County: 89,200 USDPolk County89,200Warren County: 89,200 USDWarren County89,200Bremer County: 87,600 USDBremer County87,600Harrison County: 87,000 USDHarrison County87,000Mills County: 87,000 USDMills County87,000Pottawattamie County: 87,000 USDPottawattamie County87,000Linn County: 85,200 USDLinn County85,200Benton County: 85,100 USDBenton County85,100Dickinson County: 83,400 USDDickinson County83,400Dubuque County: 82,900 USDDubuque County82,900Cedar County: 82,500 USDCedar County82,500Winneshiek County: 80,700 USDWinneshiek County80,700Sioux County: 80,600 USDSioux County80,600Buchanan County: 79,200 USDBuchanan County79,200Plymouth County: 79,100 USDPlymouth County79,100Carroll County: 78,500 USDCarroll County78,500Washington County: 78,200 USDWashington County78,200Boone County: 77,700 USDBoone County77,700Delaware County: 76,900 USDDelaware County76,900Iowa County: 76,400 USDIowa County76,400Marion County: 76,400 USDMarion County76,400O'Brien County: 76,300 USDO'Brien County76,300Jones County: 76,200 USDJones County76,200Scott County: 75,400 USDScott County75,400Woodbury County: 75,200 USDWoodbury County75,200Hardin County: 74,400 USDHardin County74,400Lyon County: 74,200 USDLyon County74,200Kossuth County: 73,600 USDKossuth County73,600Hamilton County: 73,400 USDHamilton County73,400Cherokee County: 73,200 USDCherokee County73,200Chickasaw County: 73,200 USDChickasaw County73,200Ida County: 73,200 USDIda County73,200Muscatine County: 73,100 USDMuscatine County73,100Poweshiek County: 73,000 USDPoweshiek County73,000Jasper County: 72,800 USDJasper County72,800Story County: 104,300 USDStory County104,300Johnson County: 101,200 USDJohnson County101,200Dallas County: 89,200 USDDallas County89,200Guthrie County: 89,200 USDGuthrie County89,200Madison County: 89,200 USDMadison County89,200Polk County: 89,200 USDPolk County89,200Warren County: 89,200 USDWarren County89,200Bremer County: 87,600 USDBremer County87,600Harrison County: 87,000 USDHarrison County87,000Mills County: 87,000 USDMills County87,000Pottawattamie County: 87,000 USDPottawattamie County87,000Linn County: 85,200 USDLinn County85,200Benton County: 85,100 USDBenton County85,100Dickinson County: 83,400 USDDickinson County83,400Dubuque County: 82,900 USDDubuque County82,900Cedar County: 82,500 USDCedar County82,500Winneshiek County: 80,700 USDWinneshiek County80,700Sioux County: 80,600 USDSioux County80,600Buchanan County: 79,200 USDBuchanan County79,200Plymouth County: 79,100 USDPlymouth County79,100Carroll County: 78,500 USDCarroll County78,500Washington County: 78,200 USDWashington County78,200Boone County: 77,700 USDBoone County77,700Delaware County: 76,900 USDDelaware County76,900Iowa County: 76,400 USDIowa County76,400Marion County: 76,400 USDMarion County76,400O'Brien County: 76,300 USDO'Brien County76,300Jones County: 76,200 USDJones County76,200Scott County: 75,400 USDScott County75,400Woodbury County: 75,200 USDWoodbury County75,200Hardin County: 74,400 USDHardin County74,400Lyon County: 74,200 USDLyon County74,200Kossuth County: 73,600 USDKossuth County73,600Hamilton County: 73,400 USDHamilton County73,400Cherokee County: 73,200 USDCherokee County73,200Chickasaw County: 73,200 USDChickasaw County73,200Ida County: 73,200 USDIda County73,200Muscatine County: 73,100 USDMuscatine County73,100Poweshiek County: 73,000 USDPoweshiek County73,000Jasper County: 72,800 USDJasper County72,800
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
USD		Change on 2019
1Story County104,300+16.7%
2Johnson County101,200+5.4%
3Dallas County89,200+1.4%
3Guthrie County89,200+1.4%
3Madison County89,200+1.4%
3Polk County89,200+1.4%
3Warren County89,200+1.4%
8Bremer County87,600+1.9%
9Harrison County87,000+1.2%
9Mills County87,000+1.2%
9Pottawattamie County87,000+1.2%
12Linn County85,200-4.6%
13Benton County85,100+2.9%
14Dickinson County83,400+5.6%
15Dubuque County82,900-1.4%
16Cedar County82,500+7.1%
17Winneshiek County80,700+6%
18Sioux County80,600+4.7%
19Buchanan County79,200+3.4%
20Plymouth County79,100+3.9%
21Carroll County78,500+4.7%
22Washington County78,200+4%
23Boone County77,700+4.2%
24Delaware County76,900+1.3%
25Iowa County76,400+3%
25Marion County76,400+1.3%
27O'Brien County76,300+6.7%
28Jones County76,200+3.5%
29Scott County75,400+3.7%
30Woodbury County75,200+8.2%
31Hardin County74,400+2.1%
32Lyon County74,200+0.4%
33Kossuth County73,600+3.8%
34Hamilton County73,400+7%
35Cherokee County73,200+3.8%
35Chickasaw County73,200+8.1%
35Ida County73,200+6.1%
38Muscatine County73,100+3.2%
39Poweshiek County73,000+4.9%
40Jasper County72,800+0.3%
41Shelby County72,500+1%
42Louisa County71,800+8.8%
43Cerro Gordo County71,700+4.1%
43Clinton County71,700+6.2%
45Black Hawk County71,600-4%
45Butler County71,600+2.1%
45Emmet County71,600+5.6%
45Grundy County71,600-4%
45Tama County71,600+4.8%
50Hancock County71,500+1.9%
51Palo Alto County71,200+4.9%
52Greene County71,100+10.1%
53Davis County71,000+14.3%
53Sac County71,000+4.1%
55Mitchell County70,700+1.4%
56Fremont County70,100+4%
57Clayton County69,500+6.4%
58Keokuk County69,200+7.8%
59Osceola County68,700+1.5%
60Buena Vista County68,600+7.4%
61Clay County68,500-0.1%
62Allamakee County68,400+3.2%
63Worth County68,100+3.2%
64Humboldt County67,900+0.6%
65Marshall County67,200-0.3%
66Floyd County67,100+5%
66Lucas County67,100+3.5%
66Winnebago County67,100+3.2%
69Pocahontas County67,000+2.8%
70Henry County66,900+4.7%
70Monroe County66,900+6.4%
72Union County66,800+4.7%
73Adair County66,600+1.8%
74Jackson County66,300+5.9%
75Howard County66,200+0.6%
75Jefferson County66,200+8.9%
77Clarke County66,000-0.9%
78Adams County65,700+1.1%
78Audubon County65,700-2.5%
80Mahaska County65,100+7.6%
81Page County64,900+3.5%
82Des Moines County64,700+8.4%
83Van Buren County64,600+2.7%
84Lee County64,400+3.9%
85Wright County64,000+1.7%
86Fayette County63,900+1.9%
86Monona County63,900+2.9%
88Crawford County63,100+4%
89Calhoun County63,000+4%
90Webster County62,700+3.3%
91Taylor County62,400+4.5%
92Ringgold County62,200+1.6%
93Cass County61,600+7.3%
94Franklin County61,200+1.2%
95Montgomery County59,300+2.1%
96Wapello County58,700-0.5%
97Wayne County58,200-1.5%
98Appanoose County57,200-2.1%
99Decatur County53,500+0.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Median annual family income, in US dollars, that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates for the HUD area that contains the county, for the fiscal year.

More on how it is measured
  • HUD bases it on American Community Survey family incomes, brought forward to the fiscal year, and uses it to set income limits for its programs: the very low income limit is 50 percent and the low income limit 80 percent of the area median for a family of four, with adjustments.
  • Often called AMI.

A program parameter, not a survey estimate for the county itself: it differs from the Census Bureau median household income and from the American Community Survey median family income of the county. HUD sets one value per HUD area, a metropolitan area (sometimes split into HUD Metro FMR Areas) or a non-metropolitan county, so every county of a metropolitan area shows the same figure. Counties in the six New England states have no value, because HUD defines their areas by town and a county can span several areas. Where HUD splits off part of a county, the county value is the rest of the county: Howard County, Maryland, without Columbia until FY2015, and Crawford County, Missouri, without its part of Sullivan. The year is HUD's federal fiscal year: FY2027 runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.

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. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. 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. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. (2020). HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars (Counties in Iowa by area median family income (HUD), 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx

MLA 9

HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in Iowa by area median family income (HUD), 2020. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 16 Mar. 2020, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/iowa-counties?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2020. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Counties in Iowa by area median family income (HUD), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/iowa-counties?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2020) HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in Iowa by area median family income (HUD), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/iowa-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_iowa_by_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research}},
  title = {{HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in Iowa by area median family income (HUD), 2020}},
  year = {2020},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/iowa-counties?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
TI  - HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in Iowa by area median family income (HUD), 2020
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/03/16
PB  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/iowa-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/iowa-counties?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il20/Section8-FY20.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in Iowa by area median family income (HUD) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest area median family income (HUD)?

Story County, with $104,300 in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Which county has the lowest area median family income (HUD)?

Decatur County, with $53,500 in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Area median family income (HUD): other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings