Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by job destruction rate

Fremont County had the highest job destruction rate of 99 counties in 2022, at 26.492%. Lucas County had the lowest, at 2.622%. The median was 10.388% and the figure for Iowa was 10.581%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest26.492Fremont County
Lowest2.622Lucas County
Median10.38899 counties
Iowa10.581History

Map of counties, 2022

Adair County: 10.832 %Adams County: 7.542 %Allamakee County: 10.09 %Appanoose County: 8.446 %Audubon County: 9.288 %Benton County: 15.543 %Black Hawk County: 10.115 %Boone County: 13.234 %Bremer County: 19.845 %Buchanan County: 8.452 %Buena Vista County: 15.414 %Butler County: 10.157 %Calhoun County: 14.889 %Carroll County: 10.058 %Cass County: 11.127 %Cedar County: 12.844 %Cerro Gordo County: 13.014 %Cherokee County: 12.335 %Chickasaw County: 9.618 %Clarke County: 3.187 %Clay County: 8.526 %Clayton County: 13.578 %Clinton County: 9.695 %Crawford County: 21.212 %Dallas County: 11.006 %Davis County: 9.856 %Decatur County: 19.678 %Delaware County: 11.661 %Des Moines County: 11.972 %Dickinson County: 15.548 %Dubuque County: 10.968 %Emmet County: 10.466 %Fayette County: 14.095 %Floyd County: 5.725 %Franklin County: 9.499 %Fremont County: 26.492 %Greene County: 9.474 %Grundy County: 11.199 %Guthrie County: 8.307 %Hamilton County: 8.364 %Hancock County: 8.692 %Hardin County: 12.393 %Harrison County: 21.572 %Henry County: 10.444 %Howard County: 7.497 %Humboldt County: 17.72 %Ida County: 12.785 %Iowa County: 9.831 %Jackson County: 10.398 %Jasper County: 13.726 %Jefferson County: 13.36 %Johnson County: 10.785 %Jones County: 11.675 %Keokuk County: 13.229 %Kossuth County: 9.633 %Lee County: 11.632 %Linn County: 9.709 %Louisa County: 6.76 %Lucas County: 2.622 %Lyon County: 7.692 %Madison County: 11.288 %Mahaska County: 10.015 %Marion County: 5.492 %Marshall County: 9.434 %Mills County: 14.933 %Mitchell County: 14.698 %Monona County: 11.919 %Monroe County: 9.183 %Montgomery County: 10.013 %Muscatine County: 6.916 %O'Brien County: 9.549 %Osceola County: 11.956 %Page County: 7.652 %Palo Alto County: 9.796 %Plymouth County: 12.759 %Pocahontas County: 7.812 %Polk County: 11.57 %Pottawattamie County: 8.965 %Poweshiek County: 7.237 %Ringgold County: 13.69 %Sac County: 8.106 %Scott County: 10.604 %Shelby County: 12.418 %Sioux County: 6.961 %Story County: 9.209 %Tama County: 9.225 %Taylor County: 15.635 %Union County: 9.006 %Van Buren County: 7.41 %Wapello County: 11.32 %Warren County: 10.284 %Washington County: 10.388 %Wayne County: 6.938 %Webster County: 10.591 %Winnebago County: 7.847 %Winneshiek County: 8.843 %Woodbury County: 10.543 %Worth County: 10.396 %Wright County: 8.909 %
  • Under 8.2
  • 8.2 to 9.5
  • 9.5 to 10
  • 10 to 12
  • 12 to 14
  • 14 and over
%, 2022. 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, 2022

Fremont County: 26.492 %Fremont County26.492Harrison County: 21.572 %Harrison County21.572Crawford County: 21.212 %Crawford County21.212Bremer County: 19.845 %Bremer County19.845Decatur County: 19.678 %Decatur County19.678Humboldt County: 17.72 %Humboldt County17.72Taylor County: 15.635 %Taylor County15.635Dickinson County: 15.548 %Dickinson County15.548Benton County: 15.543 %Benton County15.543Buena Vista County: 15.414 %Buena Vista County15.414Mills County: 14.933 %Mills County14.933Calhoun County: 14.889 %Calhoun County14.889Mitchell County: 14.698 %Mitchell County14.698Fayette County: 14.095 %Fayette County14.095Jasper County: 13.726 %Jasper County13.726Ringgold County: 13.69 %Ringgold County13.69Clayton County: 13.578 %Clayton County13.578Jefferson County: 13.36 %Jefferson County13.36Boone County: 13.234 %Boone County13.234Keokuk County: 13.229 %Keokuk County13.229Cerro Gordo County: 13.014 %Cerro Gordo County13.014Cedar County: 12.844 %Cedar County12.844Ida County: 12.785 %Ida County12.785Plymouth County: 12.759 %Plymouth County12.759Shelby County: 12.418 %Shelby County12.418Hardin County: 12.393 %Hardin County12.393Cherokee County: 12.335 %Cherokee County12.335Des Moines County: 11.972 %Des Moines County11.972Osceola County: 11.956 %Osceola County11.956Monona County: 11.919 %Monona County11.919Jones County: 11.675 %Jones County11.675Delaware County: 11.661 %Delaware County11.661Lee County: 11.632 %Lee County11.632Polk County: 11.57 %Polk County11.57Wapello County: 11.32 %Wapello County11.32Madison County: 11.288 %Madison County11.288Grundy County: 11.199 %Grundy County11.199Cass County: 11.127 %Cass County11.127Dallas County: 11.006 %Dallas County11.006Dubuque County: 10.968 %Dubuque County10.968Fremont County: 26.492 %Fremont County26.492Harrison County: 21.572 %Harrison County21.572Crawford County: 21.212 %Crawford County21.212Bremer County: 19.845 %Bremer County19.845Decatur County: 19.678 %Decatur County19.678Humboldt County: 17.72 %Humboldt County17.72Taylor County: 15.635 %Taylor County15.635Dickinson County: 15.548 %Dickinson County15.548Benton County: 15.543 %Benton County15.543Buena Vista County: 15.414 %Buena Vista County15.414Mills County: 14.933 %Mills County14.933Calhoun County: 14.889 %Calhoun County14.889Mitchell County: 14.698 %Mitchell County14.698Fayette County: 14.095 %Fayette County14.095Jasper County: 13.726 %Jasper County13.726Ringgold County: 13.69 %Ringgold County13.69Clayton County: 13.578 %Clayton County13.578Jefferson County: 13.36 %Jefferson County13.36Boone County: 13.234 %Boone County13.234Keokuk County: 13.229 %Keokuk County13.229Cerro Gordo County: 13.014 %Cerro Gordo County13.014Cedar County: 12.844 %Cedar County12.844Ida County: 12.785 %Ida County12.785Plymouth County: 12.759 %Plymouth County12.759Shelby County: 12.418 %Shelby County12.418Hardin County: 12.393 %Hardin County12.393Cherokee County: 12.335 %Cherokee County12.335Des Moines County: 11.972 %Des Moines County11.972Osceola County: 11.956 %Osceola County11.956Monona County: 11.919 %Monona County11.919Jones County: 11.675 %Jones County11.675Delaware County: 11.661 %Delaware County11.661Lee County: 11.632 %Lee County11.632Polk County: 11.57 %Polk County11.57Wapello County: 11.32 %Wapello County11.32Madison County: 11.288 %Madison County11.288Grundy County: 11.199 %Grundy County11.199Cass County: 11.127 %Cass County11.127Dallas County: 11.006 %Dallas County11.006Dubuque County: 10.968 %Dubuque County10.968
%. 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

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Fremont County26.492+19.26 pts
2Harrison County21.572+10.19 pts
3Crawford County21.212+10.8 pts
4Bremer County19.845+10.35 pts
5Decatur County19.678+14.27 pts
6Humboldt County17.72+6.74 pts
7Taylor County15.635+8.95 pts
8Dickinson County15.548+5.17 pts
9Benton County15.543+4.97 pts
10Buena Vista County15.414+6.56 pts
11Mills County14.933+3.09 pts
12Calhoun County14.889+3.62 pts
13Mitchell County14.698+6.14 pts
14Fayette County14.095+0.1 pts
15Jasper County13.726-2.74 pts
16Ringgold County13.69-1.38 pts
17Clayton County13.578+0.52 pts
18Jefferson County13.36+1.24 pts
19Boone County13.234+3.54 pts
20Keokuk County13.229-2.71 pts
21Cerro Gordo County13.014+2.46 pts
22Cedar County12.844-1.49 pts
23Ida County12.785+3.71 pts
24Plymouth County12.759+3.79 pts
25Shelby County12.418+2.24 pts
26Hardin County12.393+0.99 pts
27Cherokee County12.335+4.84 pts
28Des Moines County11.972-2.4 pts
29Osceola County11.956+3.81 pts
30Monona County11.919+2.34 pts
31Jones County11.675+0.49 pts
32Delaware County11.661-4.45 pts
33Lee County11.632-1.72 pts
34Polk County11.57-2.87 pts
35Wapello County11.32+2.5 pts
36Madison County11.288-3.39 pts
37Grundy County11.199-7.29 pts
38Cass County11.127+0.5 pts
39Dallas County11.006+0.76 pts
40Dubuque County10.968-0.78 pts
41Adair County10.832+2.18 pts
42Johnson County10.785-5.89 pts
43Scott County10.604-1.97 pts
44Webster County10.591-1.97 pts
45Woodbury County10.543-0.82 pts
46Emmet County10.466-5.01 pts
47Henry County10.444+1.41 pts
48Jackson County10.398-7.04 pts
49Worth County10.396-6.11 pts
50Washington County10.388-1.48 pts
51Warren County10.284-3.7 pts
52Butler County10.157-0.98 pts
53Black Hawk County10.115-1.2 pts
54Allamakee County10.09-1.34 pts
55Carroll County10.058+1.32 pts
56Mahaska County10.015+1.43 pts
57Montgomery County10.013+0.2 pts
58Davis County9.856-0.61 pts
59Iowa County9.831-0.43 pts
60Palo Alto County9.796-3.9 pts
61Linn County9.709-3.38 pts
62Clinton County9.695-0.31 pts
63Kossuth County9.633-1.36 pts
64Chickasaw County9.618+1.59 pts
65O'Brien County9.549-0.97 pts
66Franklin County9.499-1.87 pts
67Greene County9.474-3.05 pts
68Marshall County9.434-1.97 pts
69Audubon County9.288-1.84 pts
70Tama County9.225+0.75 pts
71Story County9.209-4.03 pts
72Monroe County9.183-4.73 pts
73Union County9.006-1.25 pts
74Pottawattamie County8.965-2.58 pts
75Wright County8.909-5.59 pts
76Winneshiek County8.843-1.64 pts
77Hancock County8.692+0.97 pts
78Clay County8.526-0.79 pts
79Buchanan County8.452-2.65 pts
80Appanoose County8.446-3.95 pts
81Hamilton County8.364-1.02 pts
82Guthrie County8.307-0.86 pts
83Sac County8.106-7.98 pts
84Winnebago County7.847+1.9 pts
85Pocahontas County7.812-0.63 pts
86Lyon County7.692-0.84 pts
87Page County7.652-4.42 pts
88Adams County7.542-11.09 pts
89Howard County7.497-0.74 pts
90Van Buren County7.41-8.76 pts
91Poweshiek County7.237-8.1 pts
92Sioux County6.961-4.18 pts
93Wayne County6.938-0.77 pts
94Muscatine County6.916-3.88 pts
95Louisa County6.76-0.49 pts
96Floyd County5.725-1.71 pts
97Marion County5.492-0.92 pts
98Clarke County3.187-8.32 pts
99Lucas County2.622-8.46 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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

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, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_iowa_by_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/iowa-counties?period=2022.
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?

Fremont County, with 26.492% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Lucas County, with 2.622% in 2022.

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