Counties in Iowa by unemployment rate

Marshall County had the highest unemployment rate of 99 counties in December 2025, at 7.2%. Taylor County had the lowest, at 2%. The median was 3.1% and the figure for Iowa was 3.4%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest7.2Marshall County
Median3.199 counties
Iowa3.4History

Top 40 counties, December 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

Marshall CountyMarshall County: 7.2 %7.2Tama CountyTama County: 5.3 %5.3Allamakee CountyAllamakee County: 5.2 %5.2Crawford CountyCrawford County: 5.1 %5.1Clayton CountyClayton County: 4.6 %4.6Clinton CountyClinton County: 4.3 %4.3Jackson CountyJackson County: 4.3 %4.3Des Moines CountyDes Moines County: 4.2 %4.2Louisa CountyLouisa County: 4 %4Wapello CountyWapello County: 4 %4Appanoose CountyAppanoose County: 3.9 %3.9Black Hawk CountyBlack Hawk County: 3.9 %3.9Butler CountyButler County: 3.9 %3.9Jones CountyJones County: 3.9 %3.9Pottawattamie CountyPottawattamie County: 3.9 %3.9Scott CountyScott County: 3.9 %3.9Union CountyUnion County: 3.9 %3.9Lee CountyLee County: 3.8 %3.8Lucas CountyLucas County: 3.8 %3.8Monroe CountyMonroe County: 3.8 %3.8Muscatine CountyMuscatine County: 3.8 %3.8Fayette CountyFayette County: 3.7 %3.7Floyd CountyFloyd County: 3.7 %3.7Woodbury CountyWoodbury County: 3.6 %3.6Dickinson CountyDickinson County: 3.5 %3.5Jasper CountyJasper County: 3.5 %3.5Polk CountyPolk County: 3.5 %3.5Dubuque CountyDubuque County: 3.4 %3.4Emmet CountyEmmet County: 3.4 %3.4Guthrie CountyGuthrie County: 3.4 %3.4Henry CountyHenry County: 3.4 %3.4Linn CountyLinn County: 3.4 %3.4Cedar CountyCedar County: 3.3 %3.3Clarke CountyClarke County: 3.3 %3.3Iowa CountyIowa County: 3.3 %3.3Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 3.3 %3.3Benton CountyBenton County: 3.2 %3.2Buchanan CountyBuchanan County: 3.2 %3.2Cerro Gordo CountyCerro Gordo County: 3.2 %3.2Howard CountyHoward County: 3.2 %3.2
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesDecember 2025 (%)Change on December 2024
1Marshall County7.2+1 pts
2Tama County5.3+0.5 pts
3Allamakee County5.2+0.9 pts
4Crawford County5.10 pts
5Clayton County4.6+0.2 pts
6Clinton County4.3+0.1 pts
6Jackson County4.3+0.3 pts
8Des Moines County4.2+0.4 pts
9Louisa County4+0.6 pts
9Wapello County4-0.7 pts
11Appanoose County3.9-0.1 pts
11Black Hawk County3.9-0.3 pts
11Butler County3.9+0.3 pts
11Jones County3.90 pts
11Pottawattamie County3.9+0.6 pts
11Scott County3.9-0.1 pts
11Union County3.9+0.9 pts
18Lee County3.8+0.3 pts
18Lucas County3.8+0.4 pts
18Monroe County3.8-0.2 pts
18Muscatine County3.8+0.2 pts
22Fayette County3.7+0.2 pts
22Floyd County3.70 pts
24Woodbury County3.6+0.2 pts
25Dickinson County3.5+0.1 pts
25Jasper County3.5+0.2 pts
25Polk County3.5+0.1 pts
28Dubuque County3.4-0.3 pts
28Emmet County3.4+0.2 pts
28Guthrie County3.40 pts
28Henry County3.4+0.2 pts
28Linn County3.40 pts
33Cedar County3.3+0.1 pts
33Clarke County3.3+0.3 pts
33Iowa County3.3+0.2 pts
33Jefferson County3.3-0.2 pts
37Benton County3.2+0.1 pts
37Buchanan County3.2-0.2 pts
37Cerro Gordo County3.2+0.2 pts
37Howard County3.2-0.2 pts
37Monona County3.2+0.4 pts
37Pocahontas County3.2+0.4 pts
37Van Buren County3.2+0.3 pts
37Wayne County3.2+0.3 pts
37Webster County3.2-0.1 pts
46Bremer County3.1+0.1 pts
46Cass County3.1+0.3 pts
46Delaware County3.1+0.2 pts
46Fremont County3.1-0.8 pts
46Hardin County3.1+0.3 pts
46Keokuk County3.1-0.4 pts
46Madison County3.1+0.2 pts
46Winnebago County3.1+0.2 pts
54Calhoun County3+0.1 pts
54Clay County30 pts
54Franklin County3-0.3 pts
54Grundy County30 pts
54Mills County3-0.5 pts
54Montgomery County3+0.5 pts
54Page County3+0.3 pts
54Sac County3+0.4 pts
54Warren County3+0.2 pts
54Winneshiek County3+0.2 pts
64Chickasaw County2.9-0.4 pts
64Dallas County2.9-0.2 pts
64Hancock County2.9+0.4 pts
64Humboldt County2.9-0.3 pts
64Palo Alto County2.9+0.5 pts
64Poweshiek County2.90 pts
70Boone County2.80 pts
70Greene County2.80 pts
70Shelby County2.80 pts
73Davis County2.7-0.9 pts
73Decatur County2.7-0.2 pts
73Worth County2.7-0.1 pts
76Audubon County2.6+0.4 pts
76Harrison County2.6+0.1 pts
76Ida County2.6-0.1 pts
76Kossuth County2.6-0.1 pts
76Mahaska County2.6+0.2 pts
76Ringgold County2.6+0.3 pts
82Cherokee County2.50 pts
82Marion County2.50 pts
82Plymouth County2.5-0.3 pts
82Washington County2.50 pts
82Wright County2.5-0.2 pts
87Johnson County2.40 pts
87Lyon County2.40 pts
87Mitchell County2.40 pts
87O'Brien County2.4-0.1 pts
87Sioux County2.4+0.4 pts
87Story County2.40 pts
93Buena Vista County2.3-0.1 pts
93Carroll County2.3+0.1 pts
93Hamilton County2.3-0.2 pts
93Osceola County2.3+0.2 pts
97Adair County2.2-0.3 pts
97Adams County2.2-0.4 pts
99Taylor County2-0.1 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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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Marshall County, with 7.2% in December 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Taylor County, with 2% in December 2025.

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

Counties in Iowa: more rankings