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

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

Appanoose County had the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 99 counties in 2023, at 20.4%. Lyon County had the lowest, at 5.3%. The median was 10.4% and the figure for Iowa was 11%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest20.4Appanoose County
Lowest5.3Lyon County
Median10.499 counties
Iowa11History

Map of counties, 2023

Adair County: 10.3 %Adams County: 9.5 %Allamakee County: 12.1 %Appanoose County: 20.4 %Audubon County: 11.8 %Benton County: 7.9 %Black Hawk County: 14.7 %Boone County: 6.7 %Bremer County: 7.5 %Buchanan County: 7 %Buena Vista County: 8.2 %Butler County: 10.7 %Calhoun County: 8.6 %Carroll County: 8.3 %Cass County: 17.4 %Cedar County: 7.2 %Cerro Gordo County: 9.4 %Cherokee County: 15.2 %Chickasaw County: 7.1 %Clarke County: 13.8 %Clay County: 11.5 %Clayton County: 13.6 %Clinton County: 13.1 %Crawford County: 16.4 %Dallas County: 5.8 %Davis County: 7.2 %Decatur County: 15.2 %Delaware County: 7.9 %Des Moines County: 14.1 %Dickinson County: 6.3 %Dubuque County: 9.4 %Emmet County: 10.4 %Fayette County: 12.5 %Floyd County: 11.4 %Franklin County: 15.1 %Fremont County: 7.6 %Greene County: 10.4 %Grundy County: 6.4 %Guthrie County: 9.3 %Hamilton County: 8 %Hancock County: 12.1 %Hardin County: 8.6 %Harrison County: 7.5 %Henry County: 12.1 %Howard County: 8.4 %Humboldt County: 13.7 %Ida County: 10.4 %Iowa County: 9.2 %Jackson County: 10.3 %Jasper County: 8.2 %Jefferson County: 14.6 %Johnson County: 16.7 %Jones County: 10.4 %Keokuk County: 12 %Kossuth County: 9.7 %Lee County: 13 %Linn County: 9.9 %Louisa County: 9.9 %Lucas County: 16.5 %Lyon County: 5.3 %Madison County: 6.8 %Mahaska County: 11.9 %Marion County: 7.1 %Marshall County: 11.1 %Mills County: 6.9 %Mitchell County: 6.9 %Monona County: 11.2 %Monroe County: 9.2 %Montgomery County: 12 %Muscatine County: 11.6 %O'Brien County: 13.8 %Osceola County: 16.3 %Page County: 13.4 %Palo Alto County: 11.7 %Plymouth County: 6.8 %Pocahontas County: 8.7 %Polk County: 10.1 %Pottawattamie County: 10.9 %Poweshiek County: 11.1 %Ringgold County: 9 %Sac County: 7.9 %Scott County: 11.7 %Shelby County: 8.5 %Sioux County: 6.4 %Story County: 18.6 %Tama County: 15.4 %Taylor County: 10.4 %Union County: 12.6 %Van Buren County: 12.2 %Wapello County: 16.7 %Warren County: 5.4 %Washington County: 8.5 %Wayne County: 15 %Webster County: 11.7 %Winnebago County: 9.8 %Winneshiek County: 7.9 %Woodbury County: 13.3 %Worth County: 7.3 %Wright County: 14.8 %
  • Under 7.4
  • 7.4 to 8.7
  • 8.7 to 10
  • 10 to 12
  • 12 to 14
  • 14 and over
%, 2023. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2023

Appanoose County: 20.4 %Appanoose County20.4Story County: 18.6 %Story County18.6Cass County: 17.4 %Cass County17.4Johnson County: 16.7 %Johnson County16.7Wapello County: 16.7 %Wapello County16.7Lucas County: 16.5 %Lucas County16.5Crawford County: 16.4 %Crawford County16.4Osceola County: 16.3 %Osceola County16.3Tama County: 15.4 %Tama County15.4Cherokee County: 15.2 %Cherokee County15.2Decatur County: 15.2 %Decatur County15.2Franklin County: 15.1 %Franklin County15.1Wayne County: 15 %Wayne County15Wright County: 14.8 %Wright County14.8Black Hawk County: 14.7 %Black Hawk County14.7Jefferson County: 14.6 %Jefferson County14.6Des Moines County: 14.1 %Des Moines County14.1O'Brien County: 13.8 %O'Brien County13.8Clarke County: 13.8 %Clarke County13.8Humboldt County: 13.7 %Humboldt County13.7Clayton County: 13.6 %Clayton County13.6Page County: 13.4 %Page County13.4Woodbury County: 13.3 %Woodbury County13.3Clinton County: 13.1 %Clinton County13.1Lee County: 13 %Lee County13Union County: 12.6 %Union County12.6Fayette County: 12.5 %Fayette County12.5Van Buren County: 12.2 %Van Buren County12.2Hancock County: 12.1 %Hancock County12.1Henry County: 12.1 %Henry County12.1Allamakee County: 12.1 %Allamakee County12.1Keokuk County: 12 %Keokuk County12Montgomery County: 12 %Montgomery County12Mahaska County: 11.9 %Mahaska County11.9Audubon County: 11.8 %Audubon County11.8Palo Alto County: 11.7 %Palo Alto County11.7Webster County: 11.7 %Webster County11.7Scott County: 11.7 %Scott County11.7Muscatine County: 11.6 %Muscatine County11.6Clay County: 11.5 %Clay County11.5Appanoose County: 20.4 %Appanoose County20.4Story County: 18.6 %Story County18.6Cass County: 17.4 %Cass County17.4Johnson County: 16.7 %Johnson County16.7Wapello County: 16.7 %Wapello County16.7Lucas County: 16.5 %Lucas County16.5Crawford County: 16.4 %Crawford County16.4Osceola County: 16.3 %Osceola County16.3Tama County: 15.4 %Tama County15.4Cherokee County: 15.2 %Cherokee County15.2Decatur County: 15.2 %Decatur County15.2Franklin County: 15.1 %Franklin County15.1Wayne County: 15 %Wayne County15Wright County: 14.8 %Wright County14.8Black Hawk County: 14.7 %Black Hawk County14.7Jefferson County: 14.6 %Jefferson County14.6Des Moines County: 14.1 %Des Moines County14.1O'Brien County: 13.8 %O'Brien County13.8Clarke County: 13.8 %Clarke County13.8Humboldt County: 13.7 %Humboldt County13.7Clayton County: 13.6 %Clayton County13.6Page County: 13.4 %Page County13.4Woodbury County: 13.3 %Woodbury County13.3Clinton County: 13.1 %Clinton County13.1Lee County: 13 %Lee County13Union County: 12.6 %Union County12.6Fayette County: 12.5 %Fayette County12.5Van Buren County: 12.2 %Van Buren County12.2Hancock County: 12.1 %Hancock County12.1Henry County: 12.1 %Henry County12.1Allamakee County: 12.1 %Allamakee County12.1Keokuk County: 12 %Keokuk County12Montgomery County: 12 %Montgomery County12Mahaska County: 11.9 %Mahaska County11.9Audubon County: 11.8 %Audubon County11.8Palo Alto County: 11.7 %Palo Alto County11.7Webster County: 11.7 %Webster County11.7Scott County: 11.7 %Scott County11.7Muscatine County: 11.6 %Muscatine County11.6Clay County: 11.5 %Clay County11.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Appanoose County20.4+3.1 pts
2Story County18.6-1 pts
3Cass County17.4+2.1 pts
4Johnson County16.7-0.1 pts
5Wapello County16.7-0.7 pts
6Lucas County16.5-0.1 pts
7Crawford County16.4-0.6 pts
8Osceola County16.3+3.7 pts
9Tama County15.4+0.2 pts
10Cherokee County15.2+1.9 pts
11Decatur County15.2+0.7 pts
12Franklin County15.1+1.3 pts
13Wayne County15+1.7 pts
14Wright County14.8+0.5 pts
15Black Hawk County14.7-1 pts
16Jefferson County14.6+0.6 pts
17Des Moines County14.1-0.5 pts
18O'Brien County13.8+1.7 pts
19Clarke County13.8-3.2 pts
20Humboldt County13.7+0.3 pts
21Clayton County13.6+0.6 pts
22Page County13.40 pts
23Woodbury County13.3-0.2 pts
24Clinton County13.1+0.7 pts
25Lee County13+0.3 pts
26Union County12.6+0.7 pts
27Fayette County12.5+0.6 pts
28Van Buren County12.2+1.1 pts
29Hancock County12.1+2.2 pts
30Henry County12.1+0.8 pts
31Allamakee County12.1+0.4 pts
32Keokuk County12-0.2 pts
33Montgomery County12-2.5 pts
34Mahaska County11.9-0.1 pts
35Audubon County11.8-0 pts
36Palo Alto County11.7+1 pts
36Webster County11.7-0.4 pts
38Scott County11.7-0.3 pts
39Muscatine County11.6-0.2 pts
40Clay County11.50 pts
41Floyd County11.4+0.5 pts
42Monona County11.2-1 pts
43Poweshiek County11.1+0.3 pts
44Marshall County11.1-0.1 pts
45Pottawattamie County10.9-0.4 pts
46Butler County10.7-1.2 pts
47Greene County10.4-1.1 pts
48Jones County10.4-1 pts
49Emmet County10.4-2.3 pts
50Taylor County10.4+1.8 pts
51Ida County10.4-1.2 pts
52Adair County10.3+0.3 pts
53Jackson County10.3+0.1 pts
54Polk County10.1-0.3 pts
55Louisa County9.9-0.2 pts
56Linn County9.9+0.4 pts
57Winnebago County9.8+2.1 pts
58Kossuth County9.7-0.8 pts
59Adams County9.50 pts
60Dubuque County9.4-0.5 pts
61Cerro Gordo County9.40 pts
62Guthrie County9.3-0.8 pts
63Iowa County9.2+0.1 pts
64Monroe County9.2-1.7 pts
65Ringgold County9+0.8 pts
66Pocahontas County8.7-0.4 pts
67Calhoun County8.6-0.4 pts
67Hardin County8.6+0.2 pts
69Shelby County8.5-0.3 pts
70Washington County8.5+1 pts
71Howard County8.4-0.3 pts
72Carroll County8.3+0.5 pts
73Buena Vista County8.2+1.2 pts
74Jasper County8.2-0.7 pts
75Hamilton County8+0.2 pts
76Sac County7.9-0.8 pts
77Winneshiek County7.9-1 pts
78Benton County7.9-0.4 pts
79Delaware County7.9+1.2 pts
80Fremont County7.60 pts
81Harrison County7.5-0.1 pts
82Bremer County7.5+0.9 pts
83Worth County7.3-0.1 pts
84Cedar County7.2-0.6 pts
85Davis County7.2-2.2 pts
86Chickasaw County7.1+0.8 pts
87Marion County7.1-0.6 pts
88Buchanan County7-1.6 pts
89Mitchell County6.9+0.2 pts
90Mills County6.9-0 pts
91Madison County6.8+0.7 pts
92Plymouth County6.8+1.1 pts
93Boone County6.7-0.8 pts
94Grundy County6.4+0.5 pts
95Sioux County6.4+0.3 pts
96Dickinson County6.30 pts
97Dallas County5.8+0.2 pts
98Warren County5.4-0.8 pts
99Lyon County5.3+1.5 pts

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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_iowa_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/iowa-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Appanoose County, with 20.4% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Lyon County, with 5.3% in 2023.

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