Counties in Iowa by unemployment rate

Marshall County had the highest unemployment rate of 99 counties in May 2026, at 4.9%. Osceola County had the lowest, at 1.8%. The median was 2.6% and the figure for Iowa was 3.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest4.9Marshall County
Median2.699 counties
Iowa3.2History

Top 40 counties, May 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Marshall CountyMarshall County: 4.9 %4.9Tama CountyTama County: 3.7 %3.7Crawford CountyCrawford County: 3.6 %3.6Clinton CountyClinton County: 3.5 %3.5Scott CountyScott County: 3.5 %3.5Wapello CountyWapello County: 3.5 %3.5Black Hawk CountyBlack Hawk County: 3.4 %3.4Greene CountyGreene County: 3.4 %3.4Lucas CountyLucas County: 3.4 %3.4Des Moines CountyDes Moines County: 3.3 %3.3Jackson CountyJackson County: 3.2 %3.2Allamakee CountyAllamakee County: 3.1 %3.1Emmet CountyEmmet County: 3.1 %3.1Muscatine CountyMuscatine County: 3.1 %3.1Pottawattamie CountyPottawattamie County: 3.1 %3.1Webster CountyWebster County: 3.1 %3.1Butler CountyButler County: 3 %3Floyd CountyFloyd County: 3 %3Franklin CountyFranklin County: 3 %3Lee CountyLee County: 3 %3Linn CountyLinn County: 3 %3Polk CountyPolk County: 3 %3Henry CountyHenry County: 2.9 %2.9Jasper CountyJasper County: 2.9 %2.9Keokuk CountyKeokuk County: 2.9 %2.9Pocahontas CountyPocahontas County: 2.9 %2.9Woodbury CountyWoodbury County: 2.9 %2.9Appanoose CountyAppanoose County: 2.8 %2.8Buchanan CountyBuchanan County: 2.8 %2.8Clayton CountyClayton County: 2.8 %2.8Decatur CountyDecatur County: 2.8 %2.8Fayette CountyFayette County: 2.8 %2.8Fremont CountyFremont County: 2.8 %2.8Hancock CountyHancock County: 2.8 %2.8Iowa CountyIowa County: 2.8 %2.8Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 2.8 %2.8Jones CountyJones County: 2.8 %2.8Louisa CountyLouisa County: 2.8 %2.8Bremer CountyBremer County: 2.7 %2.7Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 2.7 %2.7
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesMay 2026 (%)Change on May 2025
1Marshall County4.9-0.7 pts
2Tama County3.7-0.5 pts
3Crawford County3.6-0.5 pts
4Clinton County3.5-0.7 pts
4Scott County3.5-0.5 pts
4Wapello County3.5-0.2 pts
7Black Hawk County3.4-0.7 pts
7Greene County3.4-0.4 pts
7Lucas County3.4-0.2 pts
10Des Moines County3.3-0.6 pts
11Jackson County3.2-0.4 pts
12Allamakee County3.1-0.1 pts
12Emmet County3.10 pts
12Muscatine County3.1-0.4 pts
12Pottawattamie County3.1-0.4 pts
12Webster County3.1-0.5 pts
17Butler County3-0.6 pts
17Floyd County3-0.5 pts
17Franklin County3-0.5 pts
17Lee County3-0.6 pts
17Linn County3-0.5 pts
17Polk County3-0.4 pts
23Henry County2.9-0.5 pts
23Jasper County2.9-0.6 pts
23Keokuk County2.9-0.4 pts
23Pocahontas County2.9-0.4 pts
23Woodbury County2.9-0.3 pts
28Appanoose County2.8-1 pts
28Buchanan County2.8-0.6 pts
28Clayton County2.8-0.9 pts
28Decatur County2.8-0.8 pts
28Fayette County2.8-0.7 pts
28Fremont County2.8-0.4 pts
28Hancock County2.8-0.1 pts
28Iowa County2.8-0.4 pts
28Jefferson County2.8-0.6 pts
28Jones County2.8-0.8 pts
28Louisa County2.8-0.6 pts
39Bremer County2.7-0.6 pts
39Calhoun County2.7-0.4 pts
39Cerro Gordo County2.7-0.4 pts
39Dubuque County2.7-0.6 pts
39Guthrie County2.7-0.4 pts
39Monroe County2.7-1 pts
39Poweshiek County2.7-0.4 pts
39Union County2.7-0.5 pts
39Van Buren County2.7-0.7 pts
48Benton County2.6-0.4 pts
48Cedar County2.6-0.3 pts
48Clarke County2.6-0.2 pts
48Dallas County2.6-0.3 pts
48Davis County2.6-0.5 pts
48Story County2.6-0.5 pts
48Warren County2.6-0.5 pts
48Winnebago County2.6-0.9 pts
56Cass County2.5-0.3 pts
56Clay County2.5-0.6 pts
56Dickinson County2.5-0.3 pts
56Grundy County2.5-0.7 pts
56Hardin County2.5-0.4 pts
56Humboldt County2.5-0.5 pts
56Mills County2.5-1.1 pts
56Monona County2.5-0.2 pts
64Boone County2.4-0.7 pts
64Buena Vista County2.4-0.5 pts
64Howard County2.4-0.3 pts
64Johnson County2.4-0.4 pts
64Kossuth County2.4-0.2 pts
64Madison County2.4-0.5 pts
64Marion County2.4-0.3 pts
64Mitchell County2.4-0.2 pts
64Montgomery County2.4-0.4 pts
64Sac County2.4-0.7 pts
64Wayne County2.4-0.4 pts
75Adams County2.3-0.3 pts
75Chickasaw County2.3-0.3 pts
75Delaware County2.3-0.6 pts
75Hamilton County2.3-0.5 pts
75Harrison County2.3-0.5 pts
75Ida County2.3-0.6 pts
75Mahaska County2.3-0.5 pts
75Washington County2.3-0.1 pts
75Worth County2.3-0.3 pts
75Wright County2.3-0.4 pts
85Carroll County2.2-0.2 pts
85Page County2.2-0.6 pts
85Plymouth County2.2-0.3 pts
85Ringgold County2.2-0.7 pts
85Shelby County2.2-0.4 pts
85Winneshiek County2.2-0.5 pts
91Audubon County2.1-0.5 pts
91Palo Alto County2.1-0.5 pts
93Lyon County2-0.6 pts
94Cherokee County1.9-0.5 pts
94O'Brien County1.9-0.7 pts
94Sioux County1.9-0.4 pts
94Taylor County1.9-0.6 pts
98Adair County1.8-0.5 pts
98Osceola County1.8-0.5 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 4.9% in May 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Osceola County, with 1.8% in May 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