Counties in Iowa by unemployment rate, August 2026
Allamakee County had the highest unemployment rate of 99 counties in August 2026, at 5.7%. Osceola County had the lowest, at 2.1%. The median was 3.2% and the figure for Iowa was 3.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 40 counties, August 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Counties | August 2026 (%) | Change on August 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allamakee County Provisional | 5.7 | +2.4 pts |
| 2 | Marshall County Provisional | 5.5 | 0 pts |
| 3 | Des Moines County Provisional | 5.2 | +0.5 pts |
| 4 | Clinton County Provisional | 4.8 | -0.2 pts |
| 5 | Wapello County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.8 pts |
| 6 | Scott County Provisional | 4.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 7 | Tama County Provisional | 4.4 | +0.1 pts |
| 8 | Appanoose County Provisional | 4.3 | +0.1 pts |
| 8 | Jackson County Provisional | 4.3 | +0.1 pts |
| 10 | Lucas County Provisional | 4.2 | +0.1 pts |
| 11 | Black Hawk County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.2 pts |
| 11 | Crawford County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.1 pts |
| 11 | Jefferson County Provisional | 4.1 | 0 pts |
| 14 | Greene County Provisional | 4 | +0.9 pts |
| 14 | Lee County Provisional | 4 | -0.9 pts |
| 14 | Linn County Provisional | 4 | -1.1 pts |
| 17 | Emmet County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.1 pts |
| 17 | Muscatine County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.1 pts |
| 17 | Pottawattamie County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.2 pts |
| 20 | Davis County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 20 | Floyd County Provisional | 3.8 | 0 pts |
| 20 | Henry County Provisional | 3.8 | +0.2 pts |
| 20 | Polk County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 20 | Webster County Provisional | 3.8 | +0.1 pts |
| 25 | Butler County Provisional | 3.7 | +0.3 pts |
| 25 | Woodbury County Provisional | 3.7 | +0.1 pts |
| 27 | Clayton County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.2 pts |
| 27 | Hardin County Provisional | 3.6 | +0.6 pts |
| 27 | Jasper County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.1 pts |
| 30 | Cerro Gordo County Provisional | 3.5 | 0 pts |
| 30 | Dubuque County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 30 | Fayette County Provisional | 3.5 | 0 pts |
| 30 | Franklin County Provisional | 3.5 | +0.2 pts |
| 30 | Jones County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.6 pts |
| 30 | Louisa County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 30 | Monroe County Provisional | 3.5 | -1.1 pts |
| 30 | Pocahontas County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 30 | Union County Provisional | 3.5 | 0 pts |
| 39 | Dallas County Provisional | 3.4 | 0 pts |
| 39 | Winnebago County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.5 pts |
| 41 | Benton County Provisional | 3.3 | -1.2 pts |
| 41 | Iowa County Provisional | 3.3 | -3 pts |
| 41 | Madison County Provisional | 3.3 | 0 pts |
| 41 | Warren County Provisional | 3.3 | +0.1 pts |
| 45 | Adams County Provisional | 3.2 | +0.7 pts |
| 45 | Buchanan County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.2 pts |
| 45 | Grundy County Provisional | 3.2 | +0.1 pts |
| 45 | Guthrie County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.3 pts |
| 45 | Kossuth County Provisional | 3.2 | +0.2 pts |
| 45 | Mills County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.8 pts |
| 45 | Van Buren County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.5 pts |
| 52 | Boone County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.1 pts |
| 52 | Bremer County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.1 pts |
| 52 | Cass County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.3 pts |
| 52 | Dickinson County Provisional | 3.1 | +0.1 pts |
| 52 | Howard County Provisional | 3.1 | +0.2 pts |
| 52 | Humboldt County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.3 pts |
| 52 | Keokuk County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.8 pts |
| 52 | Mitchell County Provisional | 3.1 | +0.2 pts |
| 52 | Monona County Provisional | 3.1 | 0 pts |
| 52 | Wayne County Provisional | 3.1 | 0 pts |
| 62 | Calhoun County Provisional | 3 | 0 pts |
| 62 | Cedar County Provisional | 3 | -0.4 pts |
| 62 | Clay County Provisional | 3 | -0.2 pts |
| 62 | Decatur County Provisional | 3 | -0.1 pts |
| 62 | Fremont County Provisional | 3 | -0.7 pts |
| 62 | Johnson County Provisional | 3 | -0.1 pts |
| 62 | Montgomery County Provisional | 3 | +0.1 pts |
| 62 | Poweshiek County Provisional | 3 | -0.4 pts |
| 62 | Story County Provisional | 3 | 0 pts |
| 71 | Buena Vista County Provisional | 2.9 | -0.4 pts |
| 71 | Hamilton County Provisional | 2.9 | +0.2 pts |
| 71 | Harrison County Provisional | 2.9 | 0 pts |
| 71 | Shelby County Provisional | 2.9 | 0 pts |
| 75 | Hancock County Provisional | 2.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 75 | Mahaska County Provisional | 2.8 | 0 pts |
| 75 | Page County Provisional | 2.8 | -0.2 pts |
| 75 | Plymouth County Provisional | 2.8 | +0.2 pts |
| 75 | Worth County Provisional | 2.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 80 | Chickasaw County Provisional | 2.7 | +0.1 pts |
| 80 | Clarke County Provisional | 2.7 | -0.4 pts |
| 80 | Marion County Provisional | 2.7 | -0.2 pts |
| 80 | Sac County Provisional | 2.7 | -0.3 pts |
| 84 | Cherokee County Provisional | 2.6 | +0.2 pts |
| 84 | Delaware County Provisional | 2.6 | -0.2 pts |
| 84 | Ida County Provisional | 2.6 | -0.3 pts |
| 84 | Palo Alto County Provisional | 2.6 | -0.1 pts |
| 84 | Ringgold County Provisional | 2.6 | -0.8 pts |
| 89 | Carroll County Provisional | 2.5 | 0 pts |
| 89 | Washington County Provisional | 2.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 89 | Winneshiek County Provisional | 2.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 89 | Wright County Provisional | 2.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 93 | O'Brien County Provisional | 2.4 | -0.4 pts |
| 93 | Taylor County Provisional | 2.4 | -0.2 pts |
| 95 | Audubon County Provisional | 2.3 | -0.3 pts |
| 96 | Lyon County Provisional | 2.2 | -0.2 pts |
| 96 | Sioux County Provisional | 2.2 | +0.2 pts |
| 98 | Adair County Provisional | 2.1 | -0.3 pts |
| 98 | Osceola County Provisional | 2.1 | -0.3 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.
Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.
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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
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Rank Counties in Iowa by unemployment rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions
Which county has the highest unemployment rate?
Allamakee County, with 5.7% in August 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?
Osceola County, with 2.1% in August 2026.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
Unemployment rate: other rankings
- Countries
- EU countries
- US states
- EU regions (NUTS 2)
- US counties
- Autonomous communities of Spain
- Provinces of Spain
- Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)
- Regions of France (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Italy (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Poland (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Greece (NUTS 2)
Counties in Iowa: more rankings
- Asian population share
- Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over
- Live births, July to June
- Black or African American population share
- Crude birth rate, July to June
- Crude death rate, July to June
- Deaths, July to June
- Foreign-born population share
- Real GDP growth
- GDP per capita, US dollars
- Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars
- Hispanic or Latino population share
- Homeownership rate (US, housing units)
- Median age
- Median gross rent (monthly)
- Median home value