Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by job creation rate

Greene County had the highest job creation rate of 99 counties in 2016, at 19.065%. O'Brien County had the lowest, at 5.505%. The median was 10.002% and the figure for Iowa was 10.221%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest19.065Greene County
Lowest5.505O'Brien County
Median10.00299 counties
Iowa10.221History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 11.338 %Adams County: 6.933 %Allamakee County: 6.868 %Appanoose County: 12.87 %Audubon County: 18.535 %Benton County: 12.134 %Black Hawk County: 8.63 %Boone County: 7.019 %Bremer County: 10.855 %Buchanan County: 7.008 %Buena Vista County: 10 %Butler County: 7.315 %Calhoun County: 10.434 %Carroll County: 9.888 %Cass County: 8.493 %Cedar County: 10.723 %Cerro Gordo County: 9.262 %Cherokee County: 7.473 %Chickasaw County: 7.963 %Clarke County: 12.372 %Clay County: 10.923 %Clayton County: 10.199 %Clinton County: 9.844 %Crawford County: 9.138 %Dallas County: 13.005 %Davis County: 11.765 %Decatur County: 5.847 %Delaware County: 14.342 %Des Moines County: 10.666 %Dickinson County: 14.856 %Dubuque County: 8.264 %Emmet County: 7.48 %Fayette County: 10.958 %Floyd County: 10.525 %Franklin County: 10.07 %Fremont County: 6.079 %Greene County: 19.065 %Grundy County: 10.792 %Guthrie County: 10.695 %Hamilton County: 9.11 %Hancock County: 12.174 %Hardin County: 9.427 %Harrison County: 11.13 %Henry County: 11.682 %Howard County: 7.137 %Humboldt County: 10.271 %Ida County: 8.601 %Iowa County: 13.229 %Jackson County: 10.394 %Jasper County: 10.831 %Jefferson County: 9.435 %Johnson County: 11.65 %Jones County: 12.103 %Keokuk County: 11.566 %Kossuth County: 7.829 %Lee County: 7.401 %Linn County: 8.771 %Louisa County: 8.904 %Lucas County: 9.33 %Lyon County: 11.902 %Madison County: 9.736 %Mahaska County: 6.314 %Marion County: 6.08 %Marshall County: 7.856 %Mills County: 14.178 %Mitchell County: 10.433 %Monona County: 11.718 %Monroe County: 10.182 %Montgomery County: 13.676 %Muscatine County: 8.639 %O'Brien County: 5.505 %Osceola County: 17.146 %Page County: 7.794 %Palo Alto County: 9.816 %Plymouth County: 9.673 %Pocahontas County: 7.875 %Polk County: 11.578 %Pottawattamie County: 7.804 %Poweshiek County: 6.953 %Ringgold County: 12.191 %Sac County: 7.167 %Scott County: 10.058 %Shelby County: 9.138 %Sioux County: 8.928 %Story County: 11.405 %Tama County: 10.002 %Taylor County: 10.268 %Union County: 14.065 %Van Buren County: 11.237 %Wapello County: 7.817 %Warren County: 11.325 %Washington County: 8.821 %Wayne County: 5.904 %Webster County: 8.056 %Winnebago County: 13.825 %Winneshiek County: 5.536 %Woodbury County: 11.479 %Worth County: 15.533 %Wright County: 9.305 %
  • Under 7.5
  • 7.5 to 8.9
  • 8.9 to 10
  • 10 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 and over
%, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Greene County: 19.065 %Greene County19.065Audubon County: 18.535 %Audubon County18.535Osceola County: 17.146 %Osceola County17.146Worth County: 15.533 %Worth County15.533Dickinson County: 14.856 %Dickinson County14.856Delaware County: 14.342 %Delaware County14.342Mills County: 14.178 %Mills County14.178Union County: 14.065 %Union County14.065Winnebago County: 13.825 %Winnebago County13.825Montgomery County: 13.676 %Montgomery County13.676Iowa County: 13.229 %Iowa County13.229Dallas County: 13.005 %Dallas County13.005Appanoose County: 12.87 %Appanoose County12.87Clarke County: 12.372 %Clarke County12.372Ringgold County: 12.191 %Ringgold County12.191Hancock County: 12.174 %Hancock County12.174Benton County: 12.134 %Benton County12.134Jones County: 12.103 %Jones County12.103Lyon County: 11.902 %Lyon County11.902Davis County: 11.765 %Davis County11.765Monona County: 11.718 %Monona County11.718Henry County: 11.682 %Henry County11.682Johnson County: 11.65 %Johnson County11.65Polk County: 11.578 %Polk County11.578Keokuk County: 11.566 %Keokuk County11.566Woodbury County: 11.479 %Woodbury County11.479Story County: 11.405 %Story County11.405Adair County: 11.338 %Adair County11.338Warren County: 11.325 %Warren County11.325Van Buren County: 11.237 %Van Buren County11.237Harrison County: 11.13 %Harrison County11.13Fayette County: 10.958 %Fayette County10.958Clay County: 10.923 %Clay County10.923Bremer County: 10.855 %Bremer County10.855Jasper County: 10.831 %Jasper County10.831Grundy County: 10.792 %Grundy County10.792Cedar County: 10.723 %Cedar County10.723Guthrie County: 10.695 %Guthrie County10.695Des Moines County: 10.666 %Des Moines County10.666Floyd County: 10.525 %Floyd County10.525Greene County: 19.065 %Greene County19.065Audubon County: 18.535 %Audubon County18.535Osceola County: 17.146 %Osceola County17.146Worth County: 15.533 %Worth County15.533Dickinson County: 14.856 %Dickinson County14.856Delaware County: 14.342 %Delaware County14.342Mills County: 14.178 %Mills County14.178Union County: 14.065 %Union County14.065Winnebago County: 13.825 %Winnebago County13.825Montgomery County: 13.676 %Montgomery County13.676Iowa County: 13.229 %Iowa County13.229Dallas County: 13.005 %Dallas County13.005Appanoose County: 12.87 %Appanoose County12.87Clarke County: 12.372 %Clarke County12.372Ringgold County: 12.191 %Ringgold County12.191Hancock County: 12.174 %Hancock County12.174Benton County: 12.134 %Benton County12.134Jones County: 12.103 %Jones County12.103Lyon County: 11.902 %Lyon County11.902Davis County: 11.765 %Davis County11.765Monona County: 11.718 %Monona County11.718Henry County: 11.682 %Henry County11.682Johnson County: 11.65 %Johnson County11.65Polk County: 11.578 %Polk County11.578Keokuk County: 11.566 %Keokuk County11.566Woodbury County: 11.479 %Woodbury County11.479Story County: 11.405 %Story County11.405Adair County: 11.338 %Adair County11.338Warren County: 11.325 %Warren County11.325Van Buren County: 11.237 %Van Buren County11.237Harrison County: 11.13 %Harrison County11.13Fayette County: 10.958 %Fayette County10.958Clay County: 10.923 %Clay County10.923Bremer County: 10.855 %Bremer County10.855Jasper County: 10.831 %Jasper County10.831Grundy County: 10.792 %Grundy County10.792Cedar County: 10.723 %Cedar County10.723Guthrie County: 10.695 %Guthrie County10.695Des Moines County: 10.666 %Des Moines County10.666Floyd County: 10.525 %Floyd County10.525
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Greene County19.065-0.3 pts
2Audubon County18.535+6 pts
3Osceola County17.146+7.51 pts
4Worth County15.533-1.77 pts
5Dickinson County14.856+3.63 pts
6Delaware County14.342+5.77 pts
7Mills County14.178-0.43 pts
8Union County14.065+4.92 pts
9Winnebago County13.825+8.53 pts
10Montgomery County13.676+5.1 pts
11Iowa County13.229+3.27 pts
12Dallas County13.005+1.92 pts
13Appanoose County12.87+3.86 pts
14Clarke County12.372+4.58 pts
15Ringgold County12.191+3.39 pts
16Hancock County12.174+1.98 pts
17Benton County12.134+1.84 pts
18Jones County12.103+0.86 pts
19Lyon County11.902+1.82 pts
20Davis County11.765-1.8 pts
21Monona County11.718+5.05 pts
22Henry County11.682+4.35 pts
23Johnson County11.65+1.29 pts
24Polk County11.578+0.29 pts
25Keokuk County11.566-4.37 pts
26Woodbury County11.479-0.64 pts
27Story County11.405-0.67 pts
28Adair County11.338+1.85 pts
29Warren County11.325-3.75 pts
30Van Buren County11.237+4.35 pts
31Harrison County11.13-2.29 pts
32Fayette County10.958+2.05 pts
33Clay County10.923+2.79 pts
34Bremer County10.855+2.02 pts
35Jasper County10.831-0.17 pts
36Grundy County10.792-2.91 pts
37Cedar County10.723+0.36 pts
38Guthrie County10.695+1.19 pts
39Des Moines County10.666+2.13 pts
40Floyd County10.525-4.7 pts
41Calhoun County10.434+1.63 pts
42Mitchell County10.433-4.31 pts
43Jackson County10.394-5.09 pts
44Humboldt County10.271+0.63 pts
45Taylor County10.268-9.09 pts
46Clayton County10.199-1.07 pts
47Monroe County10.182+0.44 pts
48Franklin County10.07-0.19 pts
49Scott County10.058-0.32 pts
50Tama County10.002-17.76 pts
51Buena Vista County10+0.41 pts
52Carroll County9.888-5.39 pts
53Clinton County9.844-1.58 pts
54Palo Alto County9.816+0.19 pts
55Madison County9.736-16.43 pts
56Plymouth County9.673+2.87 pts
57Jefferson County9.435-3.77 pts
58Hardin County9.427+1.06 pts
59Lucas County9.33-1.04 pts
60Wright County9.305+1.49 pts
61Cerro Gordo County9.262+0.28 pts
62Crawford County9.138-8.13 pts
62Shelby County9.138-0.55 pts
64Hamilton County9.11+0.6 pts
65Sioux County8.928+1.76 pts
66Louisa County8.904+2.62 pts
67Washington County8.821-0.5 pts
68Linn County8.771-2.09 pts
69Muscatine County8.639-2.81 pts
70Black Hawk County8.63-0.08 pts
71Ida County8.601-0.57 pts
72Cass County8.493+0.53 pts
73Dubuque County8.264-1.71 pts
74Webster County8.056-3.61 pts
75Chickasaw County7.963-3.62 pts
76Pocahontas County7.875+0.29 pts
77Marshall County7.856+0.84 pts
78Kossuth County7.829+0.8 pts
79Wapello County7.817-0.42 pts
80Pottawattamie County7.804-6.3 pts
81Page County7.794-3.77 pts
82Emmet County7.48-1.72 pts
83Cherokee County7.473-0.16 pts
84Lee County7.401-15.23 pts
85Butler County7.315-5.55 pts
86Sac County7.167-2.17 pts
87Howard County7.137-3.5 pts
88Boone County7.019-3.56 pts
89Buchanan County7.008-2.21 pts
90Poweshiek County6.953-1.52 pts
91Adams County6.933-17.67 pts
92Allamakee County6.868-0.07 pts
93Mahaska County6.314-1.11 pts
94Marion County6.08-0.85 pts
95Fremont County6.079-3.98 pts
96Wayne County5.904-6.55 pts
97Decatur County5.847-7.01 pts
98Winneshiek County5.536-3.34 pts
99O'Brien County5.505-4.05 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs added at opening and expanding establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs lost elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is this rate minus job_destruction_rate. Not the same as payroll job growth from the monthly employment surveys. 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. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Iowa by job creation rate, 2016) [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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Iowa by job creation rate, 2016. 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/job-creation-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Iowa by job creation rate, 2016. 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/job-creation-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Iowa by job creation rate, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_iowa_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Iowa by job creation rate, 2016}},
  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/job-creation-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Iowa by job creation rate, 2016
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/job-creation-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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 job creation rate?

Greene County, with 19.065% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

O'Brien County, with 5.505% in 2016.

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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job creation rate: other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings