Counties in Iowa by unemployment rate

Marshall County had the highest unemployment rate of 99 counties in March 2026, at 7%. Taylor County had the lowest, at 2.1%. The median was 3.1% and the figure for Iowa was 3.3%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lowest2.1Taylor County
Median3.199 counties
Iowa3.3History

Top 40 counties, March 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Marshall CountyMarshall County: 7 %7Allamakee CountyAllamakee County: 5.3 %5.3Tama CountyTama County: 4.9 %4.9Crawford CountyCrawford County: 4.8 %4.8Clayton CountyClayton County: 4.4 %4.4Jackson CountyJackson County: 4.2 %4.2Clinton CountyClinton County: 4.1 %4.1Butler CountyButler County: 3.9 %3.9Fayette CountyFayette County: 3.8 %3.8Scott CountyScott County: 3.8 %3.8Black Hawk CountyBlack Hawk County: 3.7 %3.7Floyd CountyFloyd County: 3.7 %3.7Howard CountyHoward County: 3.7 %3.7Jones CountyJones County: 3.7 %3.7Muscatine CountyMuscatine County: 3.7 %3.7Pottawattamie CountyPottawattamie County: 3.7 %3.7Wapello CountyWapello County: 3.7 %3.7Des Moines CountyDes Moines County: 3.6 %3.6Emmet CountyEmmet County: 3.6 %3.6Iowa CountyIowa County: 3.6 %3.6Lucas CountyLucas County: 3.6 %3.6Webster CountyWebster County: 3.6 %3.6Appanoose CountyAppanoose County: 3.5 %3.5Buchanan CountyBuchanan County: 3.4 %3.4Dickinson CountyDickinson County: 3.4 %3.4Dubuque CountyDubuque County: 3.4 %3.4Franklin CountyFranklin County: 3.4 %3.4Jasper CountyJasper County: 3.4 %3.4Lee CountyLee County: 3.4 %3.4Linn CountyLinn County: 3.4 %3.4Louisa CountyLouisa County: 3.4 %3.4Polk CountyPolk County: 3.4 %3.4Union CountyUnion County: 3.4 %3.4Winneshiek CountyWinneshiek County: 3.4 %3.4Woodbury CountyWoodbury County: 3.4 %3.4Cerro Gordo CountyCerro Gordo County: 3.3 %3.3Greene CountyGreene County: 3.3 %3.3Guthrie CountyGuthrie County: 3.3 %3.3Madison CountyMadison County: 3.3 %3.3Bremer CountyBremer County: 3.2 %3.2
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesMarch 2026 (%)Change on March 2025
1Marshall County7-0.7 pts
2Allamakee County5.3-0.2 pts
3Tama County4.9-0.8 pts
4Crawford County4.8-0.5 pts
5Clayton County4.4-1 pts
6Jackson County4.2-0.3 pts
7Clinton County4.1-0.3 pts
8Butler County3.9-0.7 pts
9Fayette County3.8-0.5 pts
9Scott County3.8-0.2 pts
11Black Hawk County3.7-0.4 pts
11Floyd County3.7-0.6 pts
11Howard County3.7-0.3 pts
11Jones County3.7-1.2 pts
11Muscatine County3.7-0.2 pts
11Pottawattamie County3.7-0.1 pts
11Wapello County3.7-0.4 pts
18Des Moines County3.6-0.5 pts
18Emmet County3.6-0.4 pts
18Iowa County3.6-0.6 pts
18Lucas County3.60 pts
18Webster County3.6-0.3 pts
23Appanoose County3.5-0.7 pts
24Buchanan County3.4-0.4 pts
24Dickinson County3.4-0.6 pts
24Dubuque County3.4-0.5 pts
24Franklin County3.4-0.4 pts
24Jasper County3.4-0.4 pts
24Lee County3.4-0.5 pts
24Linn County3.4-0.4 pts
24Louisa County3.4-0.6 pts
24Polk County3.4-0.3 pts
24Union County3.40 pts
24Winneshiek County3.4-0.6 pts
24Woodbury County3.4-0.2 pts
36Cerro Gordo County3.3-0.4 pts
36Greene County3.3+0.1 pts
36Guthrie County3.3-0.7 pts
36Madison County3.3-0.5 pts
40Bremer County3.2-0.2 pts
40Clarke County3.2-0.3 pts
40Keokuk County3.2-0.6 pts
40Poweshiek County3.2-0.4 pts
44Benton County3.1-0.4 pts
44Calhoun County3.1-0.2 pts
44Cass County3.1-0.3 pts
44Cedar County3.1-0.4 pts
44Decatur County3.1-0.4 pts
44Delaware County3.1-0.7 pts
44Fremont County3.1-0.5 pts
44Grundy County3.1-0.5 pts
44Hancock County3.1-0.3 pts
44Hardin County3.1-0.3 pts
44Monona County3.1-0.2 pts
44Monroe County3.1-1.1 pts
44Pocahontas County3.1-0.8 pts
44Worth County3.1-0.4 pts
58Adams County3+0.2 pts
58Chickasaw County3-0.2 pts
58Clay County3-0.5 pts
58Henry County3-0.6 pts
58Humboldt County3-0.4 pts
58Mills County3-0.5 pts
58Mitchell County3-0.2 pts
58Sac County3-0.7 pts
58Warren County3-0.3 pts
58Wayne County3-0.5 pts
58Winnebago County3-0.5 pts
69Ida County2.9-0.8 pts
69Jefferson County2.9-0.6 pts
69Van Buren County2.9-0.4 pts
72Audubon County2.8-0.3 pts
72Buena Vista County2.8-0.2 pts
72Dallas County2.8-0.4 pts
72Davis County2.8-0.5 pts
72Lyon County2.8-0.3 pts
72Palo Alto County2.80 pts
72Story County2.8-0.1 pts
79Boone County2.7-0.4 pts
79Hamilton County2.7-0.4 pts
79Harrison County2.7-0.3 pts
79Montgomery County2.7-0.3 pts
79Shelby County2.7-0.4 pts
79Washington County2.7-0.4 pts
79Wright County2.7-0.3 pts
86Cherokee County2.6-0.4 pts
86Johnson County2.6-0.2 pts
86Kossuth County2.6-0.7 pts
86Marion County2.6-0.3 pts
90Mahaska County2.5-0.5 pts
90O'Brien County2.5-0.4 pts
90Plymouth County2.5-0.2 pts
90Ringgold County2.5-0.2 pts
90Sioux County2.5-0.2 pts
95Adair County2.4-0.8 pts
95Carroll County2.4-0.2 pts
97Osceola County2.3-0.1 pts
97Page County2.3-0.6 pts
99Taylor County2.1-0.4 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% in March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Taylor County, with 2.1% in March 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

Counties in Iowa: more rankings