Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Story County had the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 99 counties in 2021, at 19.4%. Lyon County had the lowest, at 4.6%. The median was 10.7% and the figure for Iowa was 11%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest19.4Story County
Lowest4.6Lyon County
Median10.799 counties
Iowa11History

Map of counties, 2021

Adair County: 11.5 %Adams County: 11.7 %Allamakee County: 10.5 %Appanoose County: 19.4 %Audubon County: 11.3 %Benton County: 8.5 %Black Hawk County: 15 %Boone County: 6.6 %Bremer County: 7.4 %Buchanan County: 8 %Buena Vista County: 9.9 %Butler County: 11.1 %Calhoun County: 10.7 %Carroll County: 8.3 %Cass County: 13.9 %Cedar County: 7.6 %Cerro Gordo County: 9.6 %Cherokee County: 12.1 %Chickasaw County: 6.2 %Clarke County: 15.8 %Clay County: 12.2 %Clayton County: 12.2 %Clinton County: 12.7 %Crawford County: 18.1 %Dallas County: 5.7 %Davis County: 9.6 %Decatur County: 15.3 %Delaware County: 8.6 %Des Moines County: 14 %Dickinson County: 7.2 %Dubuque County: 9.3 %Emmet County: 12.6 %Fayette County: 12.2 %Floyd County: 11.8 %Franklin County: 12.6 %Fremont County: 8 %Greene County: 11.2 %Grundy County: 5.2 %Guthrie County: 9.8 %Hamilton County: 7.8 %Hancock County: 10.7 %Hardin County: 9 %Harrison County: 8.5 %Henry County: 10.3 %Howard County: 8.2 %Humboldt County: 14.3 %Ida County: 11.9 %Iowa County: 9.3 %Jackson County: 11.1 %Jasper County: 8.8 %Jefferson County: 14.2 %Johnson County: 16.7 %Jones County: 9.9 %Keokuk County: 12.5 %Kossuth County: 11.5 %Lee County: 13 %Linn County: 9.6 %Louisa County: 10 %Lucas County: 13.9 %Lyon County: 4.6 %Madison County: 6.7 %Mahaska County: 13 %Marion County: 7.5 %Marshall County: 11.9 %Mills County: 7.2 %Mitchell County: 4.9 %Monona County: 13.1 %Monroe County: 10.5 %Montgomery County: 13.5 %Muscatine County: 10.5 %O'Brien County: 12.6 %Osceola County: 11.5 %Page County: 13.9 %Palo Alto County: 9.1 %Plymouth County: 6.3 %Pocahontas County: 10.2 %Polk County: 10.1 %Pottawattamie County: 10.9 %Poweshiek County: 12 %Ringgold County: 9.4 %Sac County: 8.3 %Scott County: 11.8 %Shelby County: 8.1 %Sioux County: 5.5 %Story County: 19.4 %Tama County: 12.8 %Taylor County: 7.7 %Union County: 12.4 %Van Buren County: 12.7 %Wapello County: 15.2 %Warren County: 6 %Washington County: 7.1 %Wayne County: 13.6 %Webster County: 14.3 %Winnebago County: 7.2 %Winneshiek County: 8.2 %Woodbury County: 13.4 %Worth County: 7 %Wright County: 13.1 %
  • Under 7.5
  • 7.5 to 9.2
  • 9.2 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Story County: 19.4 %Story County19.4Appanoose County: 19.4 %Appanoose County19.4Crawford County: 18.1 %Crawford County18.1Johnson County: 16.7 %Johnson County16.7Clarke County: 15.8 %Clarke County15.8Decatur County: 15.3 %Decatur County15.3Wapello County: 15.2 %Wapello County15.2Black Hawk County: 15 %Black Hawk County15Humboldt County: 14.3 %Humboldt County14.3Webster County: 14.3 %Webster County14.3Jefferson County: 14.2 %Jefferson County14.2Des Moines County: 14 %Des Moines County14Lucas County: 13.9 %Lucas County13.9Page County: 13.9 %Page County13.9Cass County: 13.9 %Cass County13.9Wayne County: 13.6 %Wayne County13.6Montgomery County: 13.5 %Montgomery County13.5Woodbury County: 13.4 %Woodbury County13.4Wright County: 13.1 %Wright County13.1Monona County: 13.1 %Monona County13.1Mahaska County: 13 %Mahaska County13Lee County: 13 %Lee County13Tama County: 12.8 %Tama County12.8Van Buren County: 12.7 %Van Buren County12.7Clinton County: 12.7 %Clinton County12.7Emmet County: 12.6 %Emmet County12.6Franklin County: 12.6 %Franklin County12.6O'Brien County: 12.6 %O'Brien County12.6Keokuk County: 12.5 %Keokuk County12.5Union County: 12.4 %Union County12.4Clay County: 12.2 %Clay County12.2Fayette County: 12.2 %Fayette County12.2Clayton County: 12.2 %Clayton County12.2Cherokee County: 12.1 %Cherokee County12.1Poweshiek County: 12 %Poweshiek County12Ida County: 11.9 %Ida County11.9Marshall County: 11.9 %Marshall County11.9Scott County: 11.8 %Scott County11.8Floyd County: 11.8 %Floyd County11.8Adams County: 11.7 %Adams County11.7Story County: 19.4 %Story County19.4Appanoose County: 19.4 %Appanoose County19.4Crawford County: 18.1 %Crawford County18.1Johnson County: 16.7 %Johnson County16.7Clarke County: 15.8 %Clarke County15.8Decatur County: 15.3 %Decatur County15.3Wapello County: 15.2 %Wapello County15.2Black Hawk County: 15 %Black Hawk County15Humboldt County: 14.3 %Humboldt County14.3Webster County: 14.3 %Webster County14.3Jefferson County: 14.2 %Jefferson County14.2Des Moines County: 14 %Des Moines County14Lucas County: 13.9 %Lucas County13.9Page County: 13.9 %Page County13.9Cass County: 13.9 %Cass County13.9Wayne County: 13.6 %Wayne County13.6Montgomery County: 13.5 %Montgomery County13.5Woodbury County: 13.4 %Woodbury County13.4Wright County: 13.1 %Wright County13.1Monona County: 13.1 %Monona County13.1Mahaska County: 13 %Mahaska County13Lee County: 13 %Lee County13Tama County: 12.8 %Tama County12.8Van Buren County: 12.7 %Van Buren County12.7Clinton County: 12.7 %Clinton County12.7Emmet County: 12.6 %Emmet County12.6Franklin County: 12.6 %Franklin County12.6O'Brien County: 12.6 %O'Brien County12.6Keokuk County: 12.5 %Keokuk County12.5Union County: 12.4 %Union County12.4Clay County: 12.2 %Clay County12.2Fayette County: 12.2 %Fayette County12.2Clayton County: 12.2 %Clayton County12.2Cherokee County: 12.1 %Cherokee County12.1Poweshiek County: 12 %Poweshiek County12Ida County: 11.9 %Ida County11.9Marshall County: 11.9 %Marshall County11.9Scott County: 11.8 %Scott County11.8Floyd County: 11.8 %Floyd County11.8Adams County: 11.7 %Adams County11.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)
1Story County19.4
2Appanoose County19.4
3Crawford County18.1
4Johnson County16.7
5Clarke County15.8
6Decatur County15.3
7Wapello County15.2
8Black Hawk County15
9Humboldt County14.3
9Webster County14.3
11Jefferson County14.2
12Des Moines County14
13Lucas County13.9
14Page County13.9
15Cass County13.9
16Wayne County13.6
17Montgomery County13.5
18Woodbury County13.4
19Wright County13.1
20Monona County13.1
21Mahaska County13
22Lee County13
23Tama County12.8
24Van Buren County12.7
25Clinton County12.7
26Emmet County12.6
27Franklin County12.6
28O'Brien County12.6
29Keokuk County12.5
30Union County12.4
31Clay County12.2
32Fayette County12.2
33Clayton County12.2
34Cherokee County12.1
35Poweshiek County12
36Ida County11.9
37Marshall County11.9
38Scott County11.8
39Floyd County11.8
40Adams County11.7
41Osceola County11.5
42Adair County11.5
43Kossuth County11.5
44Audubon County11.3
45Greene County11.2
46Jackson County11.1
47Butler County11.1
48Pottawattamie County10.9
49Hancock County10.7
50Calhoun County10.7
51Allamakee County10.5
52Monroe County10.5
53Muscatine County10.5
54Henry County10.3
55Pocahontas County10.2
56Polk County10.1
57Louisa County10
58Buena Vista County9.9
59Jones County9.9
60Guthrie County9.8
61Davis County9.6
62Cerro Gordo County9.6
63Linn County9.6
64Ringgold County9.4
65Dubuque County9.3
66Iowa County9.3
67Palo Alto County9.1
68Hardin County9
69Jasper County8.8
70Delaware County8.6
71Benton County8.5
72Harrison County8.5
73Sac County8.3
74Carroll County8.3
75Howard County8.2
75Winneshiek County8.2
77Shelby County8.1
78Buchanan County8
79Fremont County8
80Hamilton County7.8
81Taylor County7.7
82Cedar County7.6
83Marion County7.5
84Bremer County7.4
85Dickinson County7.2
86Winnebago County7.2
87Mills County7.2
88Washington County7.1
89Worth County7
90Madison County6.7
91Boone County6.6
92Plymouth County6.3
93Chickasaw County6.2
94Warren County6
95Dallas County5.7
96Sioux County5.5
97Grundy County5.2
98Mitchell County4.9
99Lyon County4.6

Other periods

About this ranking

People with income in the past 12 months below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status is determined. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

The headline single-year rate for states and counties is poverty_rate (SAIPE). Poverty status is not determined for people in institutions, military group quarters or college dormitories, or for unrelated children under 15. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.

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. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat. 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. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Iowa by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Iowa by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Iowa by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Iowa by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_iowa_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Iowa by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Iowa by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Story County, with 19.4% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Lyon County, with 4.6% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings