Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by job destruction rate

Black Hawk County had the highest job destruction rate of 99 counties in 2017, at 18.938%. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 5.692%. The median was 10.893% and the figure for Iowa was 10.949%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest18.938Black Hawk County
Lowest5.692Van Buren County
Median10.89399 counties
Iowa10.949History

Map of counties, 2017

Adair County: 13.504 %Adams County: 7.116 %Allamakee County: 12.998 %Appanoose County: 14.005 %Audubon County: 8.642 %Benton County: 12.899 %Black Hawk County: 18.938 %Boone County: 10.494 %Bremer County: 10.397 %Buchanan County: 14.146 %Buena Vista County: 7.689 %Butler County: 9.098 %Calhoun County: 8.451 %Carroll County: 9.131 %Cass County: 8.031 %Cedar County: 13.069 %Cerro Gordo County: 14.284 %Cherokee County: 7.074 %Chickasaw County: 8.328 %Clarke County: 8.292 %Clay County: 11.6 %Clayton County: 11.733 %Clinton County: 15.953 %Crawford County: 12.422 %Dallas County: 7.323 %Davis County: 14.351 %Decatur County: 9.31 %Delaware County: 11.533 %Des Moines County: 12.749 %Dickinson County: 11.008 %Dubuque County: 10.032 %Emmet County: 13.494 %Fayette County: 13.765 %Floyd County: 8.825 %Franklin County: 14.248 %Fremont County: 6.017 %Greene County: 12.38 %Grundy County: 16.125 %Guthrie County: 11.789 %Hamilton County: 10.884 %Hancock County: 10.95 %Hardin County: 13.088 %Harrison County: 12.165 %Henry County: 11.536 %Howard County: 9.345 %Humboldt County: 11.731 %Ida County: 6.739 %Iowa County: 6.709 %Jackson County: 12.048 %Jasper County: 8.043 %Jefferson County: 11.909 %Johnson County: 10.479 %Jones County: 16.637 %Keokuk County: 14.745 %Kossuth County: 9.79 %Lee County: 13.212 %Linn County: 10.334 %Louisa County: 7.373 %Lucas County: 6.9 %Lyon County: 7.211 %Madison County: 15.345 %Mahaska County: 10.325 %Marion County: 6.09 %Marshall County: 8.515 %Mills County: 10.353 %Mitchell County: 16.723 %Monona County: 10.203 %Monroe County: 16.727 %Montgomery County: 15.581 %Muscatine County: 6.804 %O'Brien County: 8.896 %Osceola County: 12.969 %Page County: 11.354 %Palo Alto County: 10.893 %Plymouth County: 7.467 %Pocahontas County: 11.917 %Polk County: 10.048 %Pottawattamie County: 10.902 %Poweshiek County: 7.166 %Ringgold County: 12.112 %Sac County: 9.073 %Scott County: 11.87 %Shelby County: 9.841 %Sioux County: 7.603 %Story County: 14.087 %Tama County: 9.766 %Taylor County: 8.731 %Union County: 10.057 %Van Buren County: 5.692 %Wapello County: 14.23 %Warren County: 11.365 %Washington County: 12.441 %Wayne County: 7.799 %Webster County: 10.065 %Winnebago County: 9.518 %Winneshiek County: 7.245 %Woodbury County: 10.961 %Worth County: 13.768 %Wright County: 13.73 %
  • Under 7.7
  • 7.7 to 9.5
  • 9.5 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 14
  • 14 and over
%, 2017. 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, 2017

Black Hawk County: 18.938 %Black Hawk County18.938Monroe County: 16.727 %Monroe County16.727Mitchell County: 16.723 %Mitchell County16.723Jones County: 16.637 %Jones County16.637Grundy County: 16.125 %Grundy County16.125Clinton County: 15.953 %Clinton County15.953Montgomery County: 15.581 %Montgomery County15.581Madison County: 15.345 %Madison County15.345Keokuk County: 14.745 %Keokuk County14.745Davis County: 14.351 %Davis County14.351Cerro Gordo County: 14.284 %Cerro Gordo County14.284Franklin County: 14.248 %Franklin County14.248Wapello County: 14.23 %Wapello County14.23Buchanan County: 14.146 %Buchanan County14.146Story County: 14.087 %Story County14.087Appanoose County: 14.005 %Appanoose County14.005Worth County: 13.768 %Worth County13.768Fayette County: 13.765 %Fayette County13.765Wright County: 13.73 %Wright County13.73Adair County: 13.504 %Adair County13.504Emmet County: 13.494 %Emmet County13.494Lee County: 13.212 %Lee County13.212Hardin County: 13.088 %Hardin County13.088Cedar County: 13.069 %Cedar County13.069Allamakee County: 12.998 %Allamakee County12.998Osceola County: 12.969 %Osceola County12.969Benton County: 12.899 %Benton County12.899Des Moines County: 12.749 %Des Moines County12.749Washington County: 12.441 %Washington County12.441Crawford County: 12.422 %Crawford County12.422Greene County: 12.38 %Greene County12.38Harrison County: 12.165 %Harrison County12.165Ringgold County: 12.112 %Ringgold County12.112Jackson County: 12.048 %Jackson County12.048Pocahontas County: 11.917 %Pocahontas County11.917Jefferson County: 11.909 %Jefferson County11.909Scott County: 11.87 %Scott County11.87Guthrie County: 11.789 %Guthrie County11.789Clayton County: 11.733 %Clayton County11.733Humboldt County: 11.731 %Humboldt County11.731Black Hawk County: 18.938 %Black Hawk County18.938Monroe County: 16.727 %Monroe County16.727Mitchell County: 16.723 %Mitchell County16.723Jones County: 16.637 %Jones County16.637Grundy County: 16.125 %Grundy County16.125Clinton County: 15.953 %Clinton County15.953Montgomery County: 15.581 %Montgomery County15.581Madison County: 15.345 %Madison County15.345Keokuk County: 14.745 %Keokuk County14.745Davis County: 14.351 %Davis County14.351Cerro Gordo County: 14.284 %Cerro Gordo County14.284Franklin County: 14.248 %Franklin County14.248Wapello County: 14.23 %Wapello County14.23Buchanan County: 14.146 %Buchanan County14.146Story County: 14.087 %Story County14.087Appanoose County: 14.005 %Appanoose County14.005Worth County: 13.768 %Worth County13.768Fayette County: 13.765 %Fayette County13.765Wright County: 13.73 %Wright County13.73Adair County: 13.504 %Adair County13.504Emmet County: 13.494 %Emmet County13.494Lee County: 13.212 %Lee County13.212Hardin County: 13.088 %Hardin County13.088Cedar County: 13.069 %Cedar County13.069Allamakee County: 12.998 %Allamakee County12.998Osceola County: 12.969 %Osceola County12.969Benton County: 12.899 %Benton County12.899Des Moines County: 12.749 %Des Moines County12.749Washington County: 12.441 %Washington County12.441Crawford County: 12.422 %Crawford County12.422Greene County: 12.38 %Greene County12.38Harrison County: 12.165 %Harrison County12.165Ringgold County: 12.112 %Ringgold County12.112Jackson County: 12.048 %Jackson County12.048Pocahontas County: 11.917 %Pocahontas County11.917Jefferson County: 11.909 %Jefferson County11.909Scott County: 11.87 %Scott County11.87Guthrie County: 11.789 %Guthrie County11.789Clayton County: 11.733 %Clayton County11.733Humboldt County: 11.731 %Humboldt County11.731
%. 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

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Black Hawk County18.938+10.34 pts
2Monroe County16.727+9.09 pts
3Mitchell County16.723+6.9 pts
4Jones County16.637+4.72 pts
5Grundy County16.125+6.21 pts
6Clinton County15.953+6.55 pts
7Montgomery County15.581+6.63 pts
8Madison County15.345+2.83 pts
9Keokuk County14.745+0.93 pts
10Davis County14.351+5.89 pts
11Cerro Gordo County14.284+7.09 pts
12Franklin County14.248+5.51 pts
13Wapello County14.23+6.21 pts
14Buchanan County14.146+5.21 pts
15Story County14.087+4.98 pts
16Appanoose County14.005+6.5 pts
17Worth County13.768+0.76 pts
18Fayette County13.765+3.92 pts
19Wright County13.73+2.88 pts
20Adair County13.504+6.75 pts
21Emmet County13.494+6.04 pts
22Lee County13.212+2.93 pts
23Hardin County13.088+4.14 pts
24Cedar County13.069+4.98 pts
25Allamakee County12.998-0.99 pts
26Osceola County12.969+6.31 pts
27Benton County12.899+0.53 pts
28Des Moines County12.749+4.51 pts
29Washington County12.441+1.45 pts
30Crawford County12.422-0.11 pts
31Greene County12.38+0.83 pts
32Harrison County12.165+3.67 pts
33Ringgold County12.112-0.08 pts
34Jackson County12.048+5.12 pts
35Pocahontas County11.917+4.2 pts
36Jefferson County11.909+3.71 pts
37Scott County11.87+2.34 pts
38Guthrie County11.789-1.06 pts
39Clayton County11.733+2.34 pts
40Humboldt County11.731+4.85 pts
41Clay County11.6+0.21 pts
42Henry County11.536+3.98 pts
43Delaware County11.533+3.84 pts
44Warren County11.365+2.25 pts
45Page County11.354+0.81 pts
46Dickinson County11.008+3.07 pts
47Woodbury County10.961+1.32 pts
48Hancock County10.95-3.89 pts
49Pottawattamie County10.902+0.91 pts
50Palo Alto County10.893+0.2 pts
51Hamilton County10.884+3.71 pts
52Boone County10.494+0.11 pts
53Johnson County10.479-8.68 pts
54Bremer County10.397+0.74 pts
55Mills County10.353+0.14 pts
56Linn County10.334+2.81 pts
57Mahaska County10.325+3.56 pts
58Monona County10.203-0.35 pts
59Webster County10.065+3.69 pts
60Union County10.057+0.79 pts
61Polk County10.048+0.85 pts
62Dubuque County10.032+1.9 pts
63Shelby County9.841+0.88 pts
64Kossuth County9.79+3.81 pts
65Tama County9.766+2.44 pts
66Winnebago County9.518-0.69 pts
67Howard County9.345+1.25 pts
68Decatur County9.31+1.89 pts
69Carroll County9.131+3.05 pts
70Butler County9.098-11.58 pts
71Sac County9.073-0.01 pts
72O'Brien County8.896-0.83 pts
73Floyd County8.825+0.45 pts
74Taylor County8.731-0.6 pts
75Audubon County8.642-4.69 pts
76Marshall County8.515-0.26 pts
77Calhoun County8.451+0.93 pts
78Chickasaw County8.328-2.17 pts
79Clarke County8.292+1.89 pts
80Jasper County8.043-10.36 pts
81Cass County8.031-1.23 pts
82Wayne County7.799-2.99 pts
83Buena Vista County7.689-2.81 pts
84Sioux County7.603-0.25 pts
85Plymouth County7.467+1.37 pts
86Louisa County7.373+2.4 pts
87Dallas County7.323+0.29 pts
88Winneshiek County7.245-1.01 pts
89Lyon County7.211-1.07 pts
90Poweshiek County7.166-2.15 pts
91Adams County7.116-1.81 pts
92Cherokee County7.074+0.45 pts
93Lucas County6.9+0.8 pts
94Muscatine County6.804-1 pts
95Ida County6.739+0.96 pts
96Iowa County6.709-3.07 pts
97Marion County6.09-0.76 pts
98Fremont County6.017-8.75 pts
99Van Buren County5.692-5.74 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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

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, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_iowa_by_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/iowa-counties?period=2017.
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?

Black Hawk County, with 18.938% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Van Buren County, with 5.692% in 2017.

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