Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by job destruction rate

Butler County had the highest job destruction rate of 99 counties in 2016, at 20.68%. Louisa County had the lowest, at 4.976%. The median was 8.965% and the figure for Iowa was 9.219%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest20.68Butler County
Lowest4.976Louisa County
Median8.96599 counties
Iowa9.219History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 6.757 %Adams County: 8.927 %Allamakee County: 13.984 %Appanoose County: 7.508 %Audubon County: 13.327 %Benton County: 12.368 %Black Hawk County: 8.593 %Boone County: 10.388 %Bremer County: 9.658 %Buchanan County: 8.939 %Buena Vista County: 10.496 %Butler County: 20.68 %Calhoun County: 7.524 %Carroll County: 6.082 %Cass County: 9.258 %Cedar County: 8.087 %Cerro Gordo County: 7.199 %Cherokee County: 6.625 %Chickasaw County: 10.498 %Clarke County: 6.397 %Clay County: 11.393 %Clayton County: 9.395 %Clinton County: 9.399 %Crawford County: 12.532 %Dallas County: 7.035 %Davis County: 8.458 %Decatur County: 7.417 %Delaware County: 7.693 %Des Moines County: 8.242 %Dickinson County: 7.934 %Dubuque County: 8.131 %Emmet County: 7.449 %Fayette County: 9.847 %Floyd County: 8.372 %Franklin County: 8.739 %Fremont County: 14.763 %Greene County: 11.555 %Grundy County: 9.91 %Guthrie County: 12.845 %Hamilton County: 7.174 %Hancock County: 14.836 %Hardin County: 8.944 %Harrison County: 8.495 %Henry County: 7.551 %Howard County: 8.095 %Humboldt County: 6.878 %Ida County: 5.778 %Iowa County: 9.783 %Jackson County: 6.93 %Jasper County: 18.403 %Jefferson County: 8.196 %Johnson County: 19.161 %Jones County: 11.919 %Keokuk County: 13.814 %Kossuth County: 5.978 %Lee County: 10.284 %Linn County: 7.522 %Louisa County: 4.976 %Lucas County: 6.104 %Lyon County: 8.278 %Madison County: 12.518 %Mahaska County: 6.769 %Marion County: 6.854 %Marshall County: 8.772 %Mills County: 10.217 %Mitchell County: 9.825 %Monona County: 10.551 %Monroe County: 7.636 %Montgomery County: 8.949 %Muscatine County: 7.802 %O'Brien County: 9.722 %Osceola County: 6.655 %Page County: 10.548 %Palo Alto County: 10.693 %Plymouth County: 6.1 %Pocahontas County: 7.718 %Polk County: 9.196 %Pottawattamie County: 9.988 %Poweshiek County: 9.319 %Ringgold County: 12.191 %Sac County: 9.087 %Scott County: 9.534 %Shelby County: 8.965 %Sioux County: 7.85 %Story County: 9.107 %Tama County: 7.326 %Taylor County: 9.334 %Union County: 9.267 %Van Buren County: 11.432 %Wapello County: 8.017 %Warren County: 9.111 %Washington County: 10.995 %Wayne County: 10.787 %Webster County: 6.374 %Winnebago County: 10.204 %Winneshiek County: 8.259 %Woodbury County: 9.639 %Worth County: 13.007 %Wright County: 10.852 %
  • Under 7.2
  • 7.2 to 8.1
  • 8.1 to 9
  • 9 to 9.8
  • 9.8 to 11
  • 11 and over
%, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Butler County: 20.68 %Butler County20.68Johnson County: 19.161 %Johnson County19.161Jasper County: 18.403 %Jasper County18.403Hancock County: 14.836 %Hancock County14.836Fremont County: 14.763 %Fremont County14.763Allamakee County: 13.984 %Allamakee County13.984Keokuk County: 13.814 %Keokuk County13.814Audubon County: 13.327 %Audubon County13.327Worth County: 13.007 %Worth County13.007Guthrie County: 12.845 %Guthrie County12.845Crawford County: 12.532 %Crawford County12.532Madison County: 12.518 %Madison County12.518Benton County: 12.368 %Benton County12.368Ringgold County: 12.191 %Ringgold County12.191Jones County: 11.919 %Jones County11.919Greene County: 11.555 %Greene County11.555Van Buren County: 11.432 %Van Buren County11.432Clay County: 11.393 %Clay County11.393Washington County: 10.995 %Washington County10.995Wright County: 10.852 %Wright County10.852Wayne County: 10.787 %Wayne County10.787Palo Alto County: 10.693 %Palo Alto County10.693Monona County: 10.551 %Monona County10.551Page County: 10.548 %Page County10.548Chickasaw County: 10.498 %Chickasaw County10.498Buena Vista County: 10.496 %Buena Vista County10.496Boone County: 10.388 %Boone County10.388Lee County: 10.284 %Lee County10.284Mills County: 10.217 %Mills County10.217Winnebago County: 10.204 %Winnebago County10.204Pottawattamie County: 9.988 %Pottawattamie County9.988Grundy County: 9.91 %Grundy County9.91Fayette County: 9.847 %Fayette County9.847Mitchell County: 9.825 %Mitchell County9.825Iowa County: 9.783 %Iowa County9.783O'Brien County: 9.722 %O'Brien County9.722Bremer County: 9.658 %Bremer County9.658Woodbury County: 9.639 %Woodbury County9.639Scott County: 9.534 %Scott County9.534Clinton County: 9.399 %Clinton County9.399Butler County: 20.68 %Butler County20.68Johnson County: 19.161 %Johnson County19.161Jasper County: 18.403 %Jasper County18.403Hancock County: 14.836 %Hancock County14.836Fremont County: 14.763 %Fremont County14.763Allamakee County: 13.984 %Allamakee County13.984Keokuk County: 13.814 %Keokuk County13.814Audubon County: 13.327 %Audubon County13.327Worth County: 13.007 %Worth County13.007Guthrie County: 12.845 %Guthrie County12.845Crawford County: 12.532 %Crawford County12.532Madison County: 12.518 %Madison County12.518Benton County: 12.368 %Benton County12.368Ringgold County: 12.191 %Ringgold County12.191Jones County: 11.919 %Jones County11.919Greene County: 11.555 %Greene County11.555Van Buren County: 11.432 %Van Buren County11.432Clay County: 11.393 %Clay County11.393Washington County: 10.995 %Washington County10.995Wright County: 10.852 %Wright County10.852Wayne County: 10.787 %Wayne County10.787Palo Alto County: 10.693 %Palo Alto County10.693Monona County: 10.551 %Monona County10.551Page County: 10.548 %Page County10.548Chickasaw County: 10.498 %Chickasaw County10.498Buena Vista County: 10.496 %Buena Vista County10.496Boone County: 10.388 %Boone County10.388Lee County: 10.284 %Lee County10.284Mills County: 10.217 %Mills County10.217Winnebago County: 10.204 %Winnebago County10.204Pottawattamie County: 9.988 %Pottawattamie County9.988Grundy County: 9.91 %Grundy County9.91Fayette County: 9.847 %Fayette County9.847Mitchell County: 9.825 %Mitchell County9.825Iowa County: 9.783 %Iowa County9.783O'Brien County: 9.722 %O'Brien County9.722Bremer County: 9.658 %Bremer County9.658Woodbury County: 9.639 %Woodbury County9.639Scott County: 9.534 %Scott County9.534Clinton County: 9.399 %Clinton County9.399
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Butler County20.68+13.7 pts
2Johnson County19.161+10.53 pts
3Jasper County18.403+6.52 pts
4Hancock County14.836+10.19 pts
5Fremont County14.763+6.97 pts
6Allamakee County13.984+8.42 pts
7Keokuk County13.814-3.55 pts
8Audubon County13.327+3.55 pts
9Worth County13.007+0.21 pts
10Guthrie County12.845+2.83 pts
11Crawford County12.532+4.59 pts
12Madison County12.518-0.11 pts
13Benton County12.368+0.86 pts
14Ringgold County12.191-0.02 pts
15Jones County11.919+1.95 pts
16Greene County11.555+2.79 pts
17Van Buren County11.432-6.03 pts
18Clay County11.393+1.7 pts
19Washington County10.995+2.42 pts
20Wright County10.852+3.25 pts
21Wayne County10.787+0.78 pts
22Palo Alto County10.693+4.95 pts
23Monona County10.551+2.67 pts
24Page County10.548+4.5 pts
25Chickasaw County10.498-0.71 pts
26Buena Vista County10.496+6.04 pts
27Boone County10.388+4.19 pts
28Lee County10.284+2.58 pts
29Mills County10.217-3.15 pts
30Winnebago County10.204+3.19 pts
31Pottawattamie County9.9880 pts
32Grundy County9.91-5.3 pts
33Fayette County9.847+1.42 pts
34Mitchell County9.825+2.69 pts
35Iowa County9.783-0.52 pts
36O'Brien County9.722+2.23 pts
37Bremer County9.658+2.66 pts
38Woodbury County9.639-3.08 pts
39Scott County9.534+0.21 pts
40Clinton County9.399-3.15 pts
41Clayton County9.395+2.45 pts
42Taylor County9.334+4.17 pts
43Poweshiek County9.319+2.88 pts
44Union County9.267+2 pts
45Cass County9.258+0.28 pts
46Polk County9.196+0.94 pts
47Warren County9.111+0.79 pts
48Story County9.107-1.1 pts
49Sac County9.087-1.75 pts
50Shelby County8.965+3.07 pts
51Montgomery County8.949+0.67 pts
52Hardin County8.944+1.63 pts
53Buchanan County8.939+1.11 pts
54Adams County8.927+1.47 pts
55Marshall County8.772+1.37 pts
56Franklin County8.739-3.66 pts
57Black Hawk County8.593+0.01 pts
58Harrison County8.495-1.46 pts
59Davis County8.458-5.5 pts
60Floyd County8.372-6.56 pts
61Lyon County8.278-2.01 pts
62Winneshiek County8.259+2.33 pts
63Des Moines County8.242+0.85 pts
64Jefferson County8.196-2.89 pts
65Dubuque County8.131-0.92 pts
66Howard County8.095+2.66 pts
67Cedar County8.087-9.4 pts
68Wapello County8.017+0.61 pts
69Dickinson County7.934-1.34 pts
70Sioux County7.85+2.28 pts
71Muscatine County7.802+2.28 pts
72Pocahontas County7.718-1.57 pts
73Delaware County7.693+1.46 pts
74Monroe County7.636-0.23 pts
75Henry County7.551+0.99 pts
76Calhoun County7.524+0.23 pts
77Linn County7.522-0.11 pts
78Appanoose County7.508-4.58 pts
79Emmet County7.449-4.49 pts
80Decatur County7.417-3.75 pts
81Tama County7.326-1.32 pts
82Cerro Gordo County7.199-7.81 pts
83Hamilton County7.174-0.02 pts
84Dallas County7.035-0.22 pts
85Jackson County6.93-2.47 pts
86Humboldt County6.878-0.77 pts
87Marion County6.854+3.11 pts
88Mahaska County6.769+0.08 pts
89Adair County6.757-3.75 pts
90Osceola County6.655-1.33 pts
91Cherokee County6.625-12.16 pts
92Clarke County6.397-2.04 pts
93Webster County6.374+0.08 pts
94Lucas County6.104+2.15 pts
95Plymouth County6.1-2.2 pts
96Carroll County6.082-2.88 pts
97Kossuth County5.978-0.08 pts
98Ida County5.778-0.19 pts
99Louisa County4.976-0.66 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking 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 added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. 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 destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Iowa by job destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Iowa by job destruction 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-destruction-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

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

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Iowa by job destruction 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-destruction-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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Iowa by job destruction 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-destruction-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Iowa by job destruction 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-destruction-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/iowa-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate?

Butler County, with 20.68% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Louisa County, with 4.976% 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings