Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by job creation rate

Calhoun County had the highest job creation rate of 99 counties in 2018, at 16.143%. Lucas County had the lowest, at 4.146%. The median was 9.643% and the figure for Iowa was 10.685%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest16.143Calhoun County
Lowest4.146Lucas County
Median9.64399 counties
Iowa10.685History

Map of counties, 2018

Adair County: 14.225 %Adams County: 5.763 %Allamakee County: 11.772 %Appanoose County: 6.637 %Audubon County: 12.181 %Benton County: 12.919 %Black Hawk County: 10.258 %Boone County: 8.841 %Bremer County: 7.529 %Buchanan County: 11.028 %Buena Vista County: 8.32 %Butler County: 15.891 %Calhoun County: 16.143 %Carroll County: 15.112 %Cass County: 7.944 %Cedar County: 11.18 %Cerro Gordo County: 11.534 %Cherokee County: 8.404 %Chickasaw County: 12.601 %Clarke County: 6.901 %Clay County: 10.539 %Clayton County: 15.203 %Clinton County: 7.499 %Crawford County: 7.975 %Dallas County: 10.007 %Davis County: 14.761 %Decatur County: 8.94 %Delaware County: 10.06 %Des Moines County: 8.066 %Dickinson County: 13.341 %Dubuque County: 9.905 %Emmet County: 7.041 %Fayette County: 12.644 %Floyd County: 9.265 %Franklin County: 13.005 %Fremont County: 6.187 %Greene County: 7.387 %Grundy County: 13.146 %Guthrie County: 12.457 %Hamilton County: 8.993 %Hancock County: 9.465 %Hardin County: 10.884 %Harrison County: 13.64 %Henry County: 8.66 %Howard County: 11.367 %Humboldt County: 9.641 %Ida County: 6.948 %Iowa County: 8.161 %Jackson County: 9.215 %Jasper County: 10.262 %Jefferson County: 12.633 %Johnson County: 15.974 %Jones County: 9.25 %Keokuk County: 12.602 %Kossuth County: 7.865 %Lee County: 9.066 %Linn County: 8.796 %Louisa County: 8.255 %Lucas County: 4.146 %Lyon County: 14.734 %Madison County: 14.097 %Mahaska County: 9.463 %Marion County: 7.208 %Marshall County: 9.896 %Mills County: 11.366 %Mitchell County: 10.371 %Monona County: 8.719 %Monroe County: 8.527 %Montgomery County: 8.121 %Muscatine County: 7.903 %O'Brien County: 10.1 %Osceola County: 8.789 %Page County: 5.732 %Palo Alto County: 10.099 %Plymouth County: 7.411 %Pocahontas County: 10.163 %Polk County: 12.127 %Pottawattamie County: 9.643 %Poweshiek County: 7.391 %Ringgold County: 12.096 %Sac County: 8.189 %Scott County: 10.779 %Shelby County: 5.992 %Sioux County: 8.445 %Story County: 10.874 %Tama County: 6.128 %Taylor County: 10.233 %Union County: 8.521 %Van Buren County: 7.99 %Wapello County: 8.751 %Warren County: 10.724 %Washington County: 9.655 %Wayne County: 9.88 %Webster County: 11.638 %Winnebago County: 6.633 %Winneshiek County: 6.512 %Woodbury County: 14.385 %Worth County: 11.324 %Wright County: 8.664 %
  • Under 7.5
  • 7.5 to 8.6
  • 8.6 to 9.6
  • 9.6 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2018. 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, 2018

Calhoun County: 16.143 %Calhoun County16.143Johnson County: 15.974 %Johnson County15.974Butler County: 15.891 %Butler County15.891Clayton County: 15.203 %Clayton County15.203Carroll County: 15.112 %Carroll County15.112Davis County: 14.761 %Davis County14.761Lyon County: 14.734 %Lyon County14.734Woodbury County: 14.385 %Woodbury County14.385Adair County: 14.225 %Adair County14.225Madison County: 14.097 %Madison County14.097Harrison County: 13.64 %Harrison County13.64Dickinson County: 13.341 %Dickinson County13.341Grundy County: 13.146 %Grundy County13.146Franklin County: 13.005 %Franklin County13.005Benton County: 12.919 %Benton County12.919Fayette County: 12.644 %Fayette County12.644Jefferson County: 12.633 %Jefferson County12.633Keokuk County: 12.602 %Keokuk County12.602Chickasaw County: 12.601 %Chickasaw County12.601Guthrie County: 12.457 %Guthrie County12.457Audubon County: 12.181 %Audubon County12.181Polk County: 12.127 %Polk County12.127Ringgold County: 12.096 %Ringgold County12.096Allamakee County: 11.772 %Allamakee County11.772Webster County: 11.638 %Webster County11.638Cerro Gordo County: 11.534 %Cerro Gordo County11.534Howard County: 11.367 %Howard County11.367Mills County: 11.366 %Mills County11.366Worth County: 11.324 %Worth County11.324Cedar County: 11.18 %Cedar County11.18Buchanan County: 11.028 %Buchanan County11.028Hardin County: 10.884 %Hardin County10.884Story County: 10.874 %Story County10.874Scott County: 10.779 %Scott County10.779Warren County: 10.724 %Warren County10.724Clay County: 10.539 %Clay County10.539Mitchell County: 10.371 %Mitchell County10.371Jasper County: 10.262 %Jasper County10.262Black Hawk County: 10.258 %Black Hawk County10.258Taylor County: 10.233 %Taylor County10.233Calhoun County: 16.143 %Calhoun County16.143Johnson County: 15.974 %Johnson County15.974Butler County: 15.891 %Butler County15.891Clayton County: 15.203 %Clayton County15.203Carroll County: 15.112 %Carroll County15.112Davis County: 14.761 %Davis County14.761Lyon County: 14.734 %Lyon County14.734Woodbury County: 14.385 %Woodbury County14.385Adair County: 14.225 %Adair County14.225Madison County: 14.097 %Madison County14.097Harrison County: 13.64 %Harrison County13.64Dickinson County: 13.341 %Dickinson County13.341Grundy County: 13.146 %Grundy County13.146Franklin County: 13.005 %Franklin County13.005Benton County: 12.919 %Benton County12.919Fayette County: 12.644 %Fayette County12.644Jefferson County: 12.633 %Jefferson County12.633Keokuk County: 12.602 %Keokuk County12.602Chickasaw County: 12.601 %Chickasaw County12.601Guthrie County: 12.457 %Guthrie County12.457Audubon County: 12.181 %Audubon County12.181Polk County: 12.127 %Polk County12.127Ringgold County: 12.096 %Ringgold County12.096Allamakee County: 11.772 %Allamakee County11.772Webster County: 11.638 %Webster County11.638Cerro Gordo County: 11.534 %Cerro Gordo County11.534Howard County: 11.367 %Howard County11.367Mills County: 11.366 %Mills County11.366Worth County: 11.324 %Worth County11.324Cedar County: 11.18 %Cedar County11.18Buchanan County: 11.028 %Buchanan County11.028Hardin County: 10.884 %Hardin County10.884Story County: 10.874 %Story County10.874Scott County: 10.779 %Scott County10.779Warren County: 10.724 %Warren County10.724Clay County: 10.539 %Clay County10.539Mitchell County: 10.371 %Mitchell County10.371Jasper County: 10.262 %Jasper County10.262Black Hawk County: 10.258 %Black Hawk County10.258Taylor County: 10.233 %Taylor County10.233
%. 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

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Calhoun County16.143+6.81 pts
2Johnson County15.974-6.07 pts
3Butler County15.891+3.2 pts
4Clayton County15.203+1.65 pts
5Carroll County15.112+6.95 pts
6Davis County14.761+2.63 pts
7Lyon County14.734+7.12 pts
8Woodbury County14.385+4.51 pts
9Adair County14.225+4.82 pts
10Madison County14.097+0.73 pts
11Harrison County13.64+5.47 pts
12Dickinson County13.341-0.29 pts
13Grundy County13.146+6.05 pts
14Franklin County13.005+3.15 pts
15Benton County12.919-0.59 pts
16Fayette County12.644+5.7 pts
17Jefferson County12.633-2.32 pts
18Keokuk County12.602+0.63 pts
19Chickasaw County12.601+3.31 pts
20Guthrie County12.457-0.03 pts
21Audubon County12.181-5.92 pts
22Polk County12.127+0.85 pts
23Ringgold County12.096+1.46 pts
24Allamakee County11.772+4.44 pts
25Webster County11.638+1.2 pts
26Cerro Gordo County11.534+1.9 pts
27Howard County11.367+5.88 pts
28Mills County11.366+1.76 pts
29Worth County11.324+5.24 pts
30Cedar County11.18+2.41 pts
31Buchanan County11.028+1.38 pts
32Hardin County10.884+1.85 pts
33Story County10.874-0.91 pts
34Scott County10.779+0.26 pts
35Warren County10.724-3.98 pts
36Clay County10.539-3.01 pts
37Mitchell County10.371-3.99 pts
38Jasper County10.262-14.18 pts
39Black Hawk County10.258+0.59 pts
40Taylor County10.233+3.37 pts
41Pocahontas County10.163+5.36 pts
42O'Brien County10.1+1.32 pts
43Palo Alto County10.099-2.07 pts
44Delaware County10.06+2.49 pts
45Dallas County10.007-3.63 pts
46Dubuque County9.905+1.03 pts
47Marshall County9.896+3.23 pts
48Wayne County9.88+2.91 pts
49Washington County9.655-0.35 pts
50Pottawattamie County9.643-0.79 pts
51Humboldt County9.641-1.36 pts
52Hancock County9.465-1.26 pts
53Mahaska County9.463+2.4 pts
54Floyd County9.265-14.64 pts
55Jones County9.25-2.22 pts
56Jackson County9.215+1.44 pts
57Lee County9.066-1.33 pts
58Hamilton County8.993-2.19 pts
59Decatur County8.94+2.95 pts
60Boone County8.841-0.49 pts
61Linn County8.796-0.51 pts
62Osceola County8.789+2.57 pts
63Wapello County8.751+0.45 pts
64Monona County8.719+2.11 pts
65Wright County8.664+1.95 pts
66Henry County8.66-0.18 pts
67Monroe County8.527+1.06 pts
68Union County8.521+0.01 pts
69Sioux County8.445+0.12 pts
70Cherokee County8.404-11 pts
71Buena Vista County8.32+0.2 pts
72Louisa County8.255-3.54 pts
73Sac County8.189+2.71 pts
74Iowa County8.161-2.93 pts
75Montgomery County8.121-0.48 pts
76Des Moines County8.066-4.92 pts
77Van Buren County7.99+0.49 pts
78Crawford County7.975+0.06 pts
79Cass County7.944-4.69 pts
80Muscatine County7.903-0.11 pts
81Kossuth County7.865-0.34 pts
82Bremer County7.529-2.75 pts
83Clinton County7.499-3.95 pts
84Plymouth County7.411-3.91 pts
85Poweshiek County7.391-3.2 pts
86Greene County7.387-0.62 pts
87Marion County7.208-1.21 pts
88Emmet County7.041-4.14 pts
89Ida County6.948-10.16 pts
90Clarke County6.901-5.39 pts
91Appanoose County6.637-5.58 pts
92Winnebago County6.633-0.09 pts
93Winneshiek County6.512+0.99 pts
94Fremont County6.187-3.8 pts
95Tama County6.128-0.78 pts
96Shelby County5.992-1.38 pts
97Adams County5.763-2.97 pts
98Page County5.732-1.31 pts
99Lucas County4.146-8.9 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_iowa_by_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/iowa-counties?period=2018.
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?

Calhoun County, with 16.143% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Lucas County, with 4.146% in 2018.

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