Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by job destruction rate

Mills County had the highest job destruction rate of 99 counties in 2020, at 30.274%. Lucas County had the lowest, at 3.799%. The median was 9.293% and the figure for Iowa was 9.388%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest30.274Mills County
Lowest3.799Lucas County
Median9.29399 counties
Iowa9.388History

Map of counties, 2020

Adair County: 9.938 %Adams County: 10.203 %Allamakee County: 11.539 %Appanoose County: 7.933 %Audubon County: 12.755 %Benton County: 7.89 %Black Hawk County: 9.064 %Boone County: 8.869 %Bremer County: 7.103 %Buchanan County: 8.617 %Buena Vista County: 5.602 %Butler County: 9.454 %Calhoun County: 15.672 %Carroll County: 9.136 %Cass County: 8.824 %Cedar County: 10.866 %Cerro Gordo County: 7.927 %Cherokee County: 9.793 %Chickasaw County: 14.36 %Clarke County: 7.755 %Clay County: 9.001 %Clayton County: 12.098 %Clinton County: 8.848 %Crawford County: 6.34 %Dallas County: 9.765 %Davis County: 14.205 %Decatur County: 8.256 %Delaware County: 10.029 %Des Moines County: 8.283 %Dickinson County: 13.231 %Dubuque County: 8.543 %Emmet County: 11.074 %Fayette County: 14.431 %Floyd County: 17.667 %Franklin County: 11.355 %Fremont County: 9.311 %Greene County: 10.211 %Grundy County: 9.293 %Guthrie County: 14.212 %Hamilton County: 9.202 %Hancock County: 7.655 %Hardin County: 11.429 %Harrison County: 10.616 %Henry County: 10.11 %Howard County: 19.977 %Humboldt County: 8.842 %Ida County: 8.711 %Iowa County: 10.629 %Jackson County: 10.182 %Jasper County: 15.174 %Jefferson County: 8.048 %Johnson County: 8.326 %Jones County: 11.463 %Keokuk County: 11.349 %Kossuth County: 12.515 %Lee County: 6.989 %Linn County: 9.619 %Louisa County: 4.634 %Lucas County: 3.799 %Lyon County: 7.633 %Madison County: 17.451 %Mahaska County: 6.125 %Marion County: 8.003 %Marshall County: 5.476 %Mills County: 30.274 %Mitchell County: 6.141 %Monona County: 8.102 %Monroe County: 8.975 %Montgomery County: 13.195 %Muscatine County: 8.286 %O'Brien County: 8.079 %Osceola County: 7.072 %Page County: 11.752 %Palo Alto County: 14.088 %Plymouth County: 6.113 %Pocahontas County: 9.586 %Polk County: 9.106 %Pottawattamie County: 9.047 %Poweshiek County: 8.143 %Ringgold County: 14.666 %Sac County: 8.08 %Scott County: 11.532 %Shelby County: 10.924 %Sioux County: 8.927 %Story County: 8.603 %Tama County: 7.977 %Taylor County: 21.224 %Union County: 10.706 %Van Buren County: 8.519 %Wapello County: 14.914 %Warren County: 11.985 %Washington County: 8.497 %Wayne County: 10.228 %Webster County: 9.619 %Winnebago County: 15.911 %Winneshiek County: 7.151 %Woodbury County: 9.619 %Worth County: 7.752 %Wright County: 8.399 %
  • Under 7.9
  • 7.9 to 8.5
  • 8.5 to 9.3
  • 9.3 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2020. 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, 2020

Mills County: 30.274 %Mills County30.274Taylor County: 21.224 %Taylor County21.224Howard County: 19.977 %Howard County19.977Floyd County: 17.667 %Floyd County17.667Madison County: 17.451 %Madison County17.451Winnebago County: 15.911 %Winnebago County15.911Calhoun County: 15.672 %Calhoun County15.672Jasper County: 15.174 %Jasper County15.174Wapello County: 14.914 %Wapello County14.914Ringgold County: 14.666 %Ringgold County14.666Fayette County: 14.431 %Fayette County14.431Chickasaw County: 14.36 %Chickasaw County14.36Guthrie County: 14.212 %Guthrie County14.212Davis County: 14.205 %Davis County14.205Palo Alto County: 14.088 %Palo Alto County14.088Dickinson County: 13.231 %Dickinson County13.231Montgomery County: 13.195 %Montgomery County13.195Audubon County: 12.755 %Audubon County12.755Kossuth County: 12.515 %Kossuth County12.515Clayton County: 12.098 %Clayton County12.098Warren County: 11.985 %Warren County11.985Page County: 11.752 %Page County11.752Allamakee County: 11.539 %Allamakee County11.539Scott County: 11.532 %Scott County11.532Jones County: 11.463 %Jones County11.463Hardin County: 11.429 %Hardin County11.429Franklin County: 11.355 %Franklin County11.355Keokuk County: 11.349 %Keokuk County11.349Emmet County: 11.074 %Emmet County11.074Shelby County: 10.924 %Shelby County10.924Cedar County: 10.866 %Cedar County10.866Union County: 10.706 %Union County10.706Iowa County: 10.629 %Iowa County10.629Harrison County: 10.616 %Harrison County10.616Wayne County: 10.228 %Wayne County10.228Greene County: 10.211 %Greene County10.211Adams County: 10.203 %Adams County10.203Jackson County: 10.182 %Jackson County10.182Henry County: 10.11 %Henry County10.11Delaware County: 10.029 %Delaware County10.029Mills County: 30.274 %Mills County30.274Taylor County: 21.224 %Taylor County21.224Howard County: 19.977 %Howard County19.977Floyd County: 17.667 %Floyd County17.667Madison County: 17.451 %Madison County17.451Winnebago County: 15.911 %Winnebago County15.911Calhoun County: 15.672 %Calhoun County15.672Jasper County: 15.174 %Jasper County15.174Wapello County: 14.914 %Wapello County14.914Ringgold County: 14.666 %Ringgold County14.666Fayette County: 14.431 %Fayette County14.431Chickasaw County: 14.36 %Chickasaw County14.36Guthrie County: 14.212 %Guthrie County14.212Davis County: 14.205 %Davis County14.205Palo Alto County: 14.088 %Palo Alto County14.088Dickinson County: 13.231 %Dickinson County13.231Montgomery County: 13.195 %Montgomery County13.195Audubon County: 12.755 %Audubon County12.755Kossuth County: 12.515 %Kossuth County12.515Clayton County: 12.098 %Clayton County12.098Warren County: 11.985 %Warren County11.985Page County: 11.752 %Page County11.752Allamakee County: 11.539 %Allamakee County11.539Scott County: 11.532 %Scott County11.532Jones County: 11.463 %Jones County11.463Hardin County: 11.429 %Hardin County11.429Franklin County: 11.355 %Franklin County11.355Keokuk County: 11.349 %Keokuk County11.349Emmet County: 11.074 %Emmet County11.074Shelby County: 10.924 %Shelby County10.924Cedar County: 10.866 %Cedar County10.866Union County: 10.706 %Union County10.706Iowa County: 10.629 %Iowa County10.629Harrison County: 10.616 %Harrison County10.616Wayne County: 10.228 %Wayne County10.228Greene County: 10.211 %Greene County10.211Adams County: 10.203 %Adams County10.203Jackson County: 10.182 %Jackson County10.182Henry County: 10.11 %Henry County10.11Delaware County: 10.029 %Delaware County10.029
%. 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

RankCounties2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Mills County30.274+16.41 pts
2Taylor County21.224+13.88 pts
3Howard County19.977+13.08 pts
4Floyd County17.667+8.05 pts
5Madison County17.451+5.12 pts
6Winnebago County15.911+11.88 pts
7Calhoun County15.672+5.96 pts
8Jasper County15.174+3.77 pts
9Wapello County14.914+3.91 pts
10Ringgold County14.666+3.58 pts
11Fayette County14.431+1.3 pts
12Chickasaw County14.36+5.63 pts
13Guthrie County14.212+2.32 pts
14Davis County14.205+2.36 pts
15Palo Alto County14.088+4.96 pts
16Dickinson County13.231+4.39 pts
17Montgomery County13.195+4.8 pts
18Audubon County12.755+4.23 pts
19Kossuth County12.515+3.99 pts
20Clayton County12.098+3.04 pts
21Warren County11.985+1.81 pts
22Page County11.752+6.42 pts
23Allamakee County11.539+2.21 pts
24Scott County11.532+2.42 pts
25Jones County11.463+1.21 pts
26Hardin County11.429-4.5 pts
27Franklin County11.355+2.22 pts
28Keokuk County11.349+1.16 pts
29Emmet County11.074+4.15 pts
30Shelby County10.924+2.58 pts
31Cedar County10.866+3.34 pts
32Union County10.706+1.47 pts
33Iowa County10.629+4.27 pts
34Harrison County10.616-2.38 pts
35Wayne County10.228+4.11 pts
36Greene County10.211+2.21 pts
37Adams County10.203+3.58 pts
38Jackson County10.182-5.07 pts
39Henry County10.11+0.61 pts
40Delaware County10.029+2.98 pts
41Adair County9.938-0.76 pts
42Cherokee County9.793+1.88 pts
43Dallas County9.765+1.34 pts
44Linn County9.619+1.08 pts
44Webster County9.619+1.91 pts
44Woodbury County9.619+1.38 pts
47Pocahontas County9.586+1.23 pts
48Butler County9.454-0.26 pts
49Fremont County9.311-21.43 pts
50Grundy County9.293-1.61 pts
51Hamilton County9.202+1.03 pts
52Carroll County9.136+0.29 pts
53Polk County9.106-0.66 pts
54Black Hawk County9.064-0.12 pts
55Pottawattamie County9.047+1.87 pts
56Clay County9.001+1.84 pts
57Monroe County8.975+4.65 pts
58Sioux County8.927+2.36 pts
59Boone County8.869-1.94 pts
60Clinton County8.848+0.79 pts
61Humboldt County8.842-1.83 pts
62Cass County8.824+0.33 pts
63Ida County8.711+1.42 pts
64Buchanan County8.617+2.7 pts
65Story County8.603-0.46 pts
66Dubuque County8.543+0.51 pts
67Van Buren County8.519-1.92 pts
68Washington County8.497-2.67 pts
69Wright County8.399+1.54 pts
70Johnson County8.326-0.06 pts
71Muscatine County8.286-2.84 pts
72Des Moines County8.283-0.2 pts
73Decatur County8.256+2.06 pts
74Poweshiek County8.143-1.1 pts
75Monona County8.102+0.59 pts
76Sac County8.08-0.6 pts
77O'Brien County8.079+2.23 pts
78Jefferson County8.048-1.5 pts
79Marion County8.003+1.44 pts
80Tama County7.977+0.72 pts
81Appanoose County7.933+2.89 pts
82Cerro Gordo County7.927-0.81 pts
83Benton County7.89-2.22 pts
84Clarke County7.755+1.62 pts
85Worth County7.752-0.29 pts
86Hancock County7.655+1.93 pts
87Lyon County7.633-2.18 pts
88Winneshiek County7.151-1.34 pts
89Bremer County7.103+1.13 pts
90Osceola County7.072-3.01 pts
91Lee County6.989-2.22 pts
92Crawford County6.34-4.84 pts
93Mitchell County6.141-1.98 pts
94Mahaska County6.125+0.72 pts
95Plymouth County6.113-1.1 pts
96Buena Vista County5.602-0.44 pts
97Marshall County5.476-6.9 pts
98Louisa County4.634-2.4 pts
99Lucas County3.799-1.82 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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_iowa_by_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/iowa-counties?period=2020.
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?

Mills County, with 30.274% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Lucas County, with 3.799% in 2020.

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