Counties in Iowa by unemployment rate

Marshall County had the highest unemployment rate of 99 counties in April 2026, at 4.6%. Osceola County had the lowest, at 1.5%. The median was 2.3% and the figure for Iowa was 3.3%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest4.6Marshall County
Median2.399 counties
Iowa3.3History

Top 40 counties, April 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Marshall CountyMarshall County: 4.6 %4.6Tama CountyTama County: 3.6 %3.6Crawford CountyCrawford County: 3.5 %3.5Allamakee CountyAllamakee County: 3.3 %3.3Black Hawk CountyBlack Hawk County: 3.1 %3.1Clinton CountyClinton County: 3.1 %3.1Wapello CountyWapello County: 3.1 %3.1Lucas CountyLucas County: 3 %3Scott CountyScott County: 3 %3Des Moines CountyDes Moines County: 2.9 %2.9Jackson CountyJackson County: 2.9 %2.9Muscatine CountyMuscatine County: 2.9 %2.9Butler CountyButler County: 2.8 %2.8Clayton CountyClayton County: 2.8 %2.8Pottawattamie CountyPottawattamie County: 2.8 %2.8Emmet CountyEmmet County: 2.7 %2.7Fayette CountyFayette County: 2.7 %2.7Floyd CountyFloyd County: 2.7 %2.7Greene CountyGreene County: 2.7 %2.7Iowa CountyIowa County: 2.7 %2.7Jones CountyJones County: 2.7 %2.7Linn CountyLinn County: 2.7 %2.7Lee CountyLee County: 2.6 %2.6Polk CountyPolk County: 2.6 %2.6Van Buren CountyVan Buren County: 2.6 %2.6Webster CountyWebster County: 2.6 %2.6Woodbury CountyWoodbury County: 2.6 %2.6Appanoose CountyAppanoose County: 2.5 %2.5Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 2.5 %2.5Cerro Gordo CountyCerro Gordo County: 2.5 %2.5Dubuque CountyDubuque County: 2.5 %2.5Franklin CountyFranklin County: 2.5 %2.5Hancock CountyHancock County: 2.5 %2.5Henry CountyHenry County: 2.5 %2.5Jasper CountyJasper County: 2.5 %2.5Keokuk CountyKeokuk County: 2.5 %2.5Louisa CountyLouisa County: 2.5 %2.5Buchanan CountyBuchanan County: 2.4 %2.4Decatur CountyDecatur County: 2.4 %2.4Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 2.4 %2.4
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesApril 2026 (%)Change on April 2025
1Marshall County4.6-0.9 pts
2Tama County3.6-0.5 pts
3Crawford County3.5-0.4 pts
4Allamakee County3.3-0.4 pts
5Black Hawk County3.1-0.4 pts
5Clinton County3.1-0.9 pts
5Wapello County3.1-0.4 pts
8Lucas County3-0.1 pts
8Scott County3-0.7 pts
10Des Moines County2.9-1.2 pts
10Jackson County2.9-0.6 pts
10Muscatine County2.9-0.4 pts
13Butler County2.8-0.5 pts
13Clayton County2.8-0.7 pts
13Pottawattamie County2.8-0.5 pts
16Emmet County2.7-0.4 pts
16Fayette County2.7-0.5 pts
16Floyd County2.7-0.6 pts
16Greene County2.7-0.5 pts
16Iowa County2.7-0.3 pts
16Jones County2.7-0.9 pts
16Linn County2.7-0.5 pts
23Lee County2.6-0.9 pts
23Polk County2.6-0.6 pts
23Van Buren County2.6-0.4 pts
23Webster County2.6-0.8 pts
23Woodbury County2.6-0.4 pts
28Appanoose County2.5-0.6 pts
28Calhoun County2.5-0.3 pts
28Cerro Gordo County2.5-0.5 pts
28Dubuque County2.5-0.5 pts
28Franklin County2.5-0.8 pts
28Hancock County2.5-0.2 pts
28Henry County2.5-0.6 pts
28Jasper County2.5-0.7 pts
28Keokuk County2.5-0.4 pts
28Louisa County2.5-0.7 pts
38Buchanan County2.4-0.6 pts
38Decatur County2.4-0.5 pts
38Jefferson County2.4-0.8 pts
38Pocahontas County2.4-0.8 pts
38Union County2.4-0.4 pts
43Benton County2.3-0.5 pts
43Bremer County2.3-0.4 pts
43Cass County2.3-0.4 pts
43Cedar County2.3-0.4 pts
43Dallas County2.3-0.4 pts
43Davis County2.3-0.5 pts
43Dickinson County2.3-0.7 pts
43Fremont County2.3-0.7 pts
43Grundy County2.3-0.4 pts
43Guthrie County2.3-0.6 pts
43Howard County2.3-0.6 pts
43Humboldt County2.3-0.5 pts
43Mills County2.3-0.9 pts
43Poweshiek County2.3-0.6 pts
43Sac County2.3-0.6 pts
43Warren County2.3-0.4 pts
43Winnebago County2.3-0.5 pts
43Worth County2.3-0.4 pts
61Clay County2.2-0.7 pts
61Hamilton County2.2-0.4 pts
61Hardin County2.2-0.4 pts
61Mitchell County2.2-0.2 pts
61Monona County2.2-0.3 pts
61Monroe County2.2-1.3 pts
61Montgomery County2.2-0.5 pts
61Story County2.2-0.5 pts
69Adams County2.1-0.3 pts
69Buena Vista County2.1-0.7 pts
69Chickasaw County2.1-0.4 pts
69Clarke County2.1-0.5 pts
69Delaware County2.1-0.5 pts
69Madison County2.1-0.7 pts
69Marion County2.1-0.4 pts
69Shelby County2.1-0.3 pts
69Washington County2.1-0.2 pts
69Wayne County2.1-0.4 pts
69Winneshiek County2.1-0.6 pts
69Wright County2.1-0.4 pts
81Boone County2-0.7 pts
81Harrison County2-0.7 pts
81Johnson County2-0.5 pts
81Kossuth County2-0.6 pts
81Mahaska County2-0.5 pts
81Page County2-0.7 pts
81Palo Alto County2-0.3 pts
88Adair County1.9-0.3 pts
88Cherokee County1.9-0.4 pts
88Ida County1.9-0.8 pts
88Plymouth County1.9-0.3 pts
92Audubon County1.8-0.6 pts
92Carroll County1.8-0.4 pts
92Lyon County1.8-0.5 pts
92O'Brien County1.8-0.7 pts
92Ringgold County1.8-0.4 pts
97Sioux County1.7-0.4 pts
97Taylor County1.7-0.6 pts
99Osceola County1.5-0.6 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 4.6% in April 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Osceola County, with 1.5% in April 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