Counties in Iowa by unemployment rate

Winnebago County had the highest unemployment rate of 99 counties in July 2026, at 8.4%. Adair County had the lowest, at 2.1%. The median was 3.1% and the figure for Iowa was 3.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lowest2.1Adair County
Median3.199 counties
Iowa3.2History

Top 40 counties, July 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Winnebago CountyWinnebago County: 8.4 %8.4Marshall CountyMarshall County: 5.1 %5.1Hancock CountyHancock County: 4.7 %4.7Des Moines CountyDes Moines County: 4.4 %4.4Wapello CountyWapello County: 4.3 %4.3Emmet CountyEmmet County: 4.2 %4.2Tama CountyTama County: 4.2 %4.2Clinton CountyClinton County: 4.1 %4.1Crawford CountyCrawford County: 4.1 %4.1Scott CountyScott County: 4.1 %4.1Black Hawk CountyBlack Hawk County: 4 %4Greene CountyGreene County: 4 %4Lee CountyLee County: 3.9 %3.9Appanoose CountyAppanoose County: 3.8 %3.8Jackson CountyJackson County: 3.8 %3.8Linn CountyLinn County: 3.8 %3.8Lucas CountyLucas County: 3.8 %3.8Cerro Gordo CountyCerro Gordo County: 3.7 %3.7Henry CountyHenry County: 3.7 %3.7Pottawattamie CountyPottawattamie County: 3.7 %3.7Webster CountyWebster County: 3.7 %3.7Floyd CountyFloyd County: 3.6 %3.6Franklin CountyFranklin County: 3.6 %3.6Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 3.6 %3.6Muscatine CountyMuscatine County: 3.6 %3.6Woodbury CountyWoodbury County: 3.6 %3.6Worth CountyWorth County: 3.6 %3.6Allamakee CountyAllamakee County: 3.5 %3.5Decatur CountyDecatur County: 3.5 %3.5Kossuth CountyKossuth County: 3.5 %3.5Polk CountyPolk County: 3.5 %3.5Story CountyStory County: 3.5 %3.5Fayette CountyFayette County: 3.4 %3.4Jones CountyJones County: 3.4 %3.4Louisa CountyLouisa County: 3.4 %3.4Union CountyUnion County: 3.4 %3.4Butler CountyButler County: 3.3 %3.3Clayton CountyClayton County: 3.3 %3.3Davis CountyDavis County: 3.3 %3.3Dubuque CountyDubuque County: 3.3 %3.3
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJuly 2026 (%)Change on July 2025
1Winnebago County8.4+3.5 pts
2Marshall County5.1-0.6 pts
3Hancock County4.7+1 pts
4Des Moines County4.4+0.4 pts
5Wapello County4.3-0.4 pts
6Emmet County4.2-0.2 pts
6Tama County4.2-0.1 pts
8Clinton County4.1-0.6 pts
8Crawford County4.1-0.2 pts
8Scott County4.1-0.5 pts
11Black Hawk County4-0.4 pts
11Greene County4-0.5 pts
13Lee County3.9-0.1 pts
14Appanoose County3.8-0.3 pts
14Jackson County3.8-0.1 pts
14Linn County3.8-0.2 pts
14Lucas County3.8-0.6 pts
18Cerro Gordo County3.70 pts
18Henry County3.7+0.1 pts
18Pottawattamie County3.7-0.5 pts
18Webster County3.7-0.5 pts
22Floyd County3.6-1 pts
22Franklin County3.6-0.1 pts
22Jefferson County3.6-0.3 pts
22Muscatine County3.6-0.2 pts
22Woodbury County3.6-0.2 pts
22Worth County3.6+0.6 pts
28Allamakee County3.50 pts
28Decatur County3.5-0.2 pts
28Kossuth County3.5+0.3 pts
28Polk County3.5-0.4 pts
28Story County3.5-0.2 pts
33Fayette County3.4-0.4 pts
33Jones County3.4-0.8 pts
33Louisa County3.4-0.5 pts
33Union County3.4-0.3 pts
37Butler County3.3-0.6 pts
37Clayton County3.3-0.4 pts
37Davis County3.3-0.4 pts
37Dubuque County3.3-0.4 pts
37Hardin County3.3+0.2 pts
37Iowa County3.3-0.2 pts
37Jasper County3.3-0.3 pts
44Buchanan County3.2-0.3 pts
44Calhoun County3.2-0.2 pts
44Dallas County3.2-0.1 pts
44Mills County3.2-1.1 pts
48Benton County3.1-0.1 pts
48Cass County3.1-0.2 pts
48Grundy County3.1-0.3 pts
48Johnson County3.1-0.1 pts
48Mitchell County3.1+0.1 pts
48Pocahontas County3.1-0.8 pts
48Van Buren County3.1-0.9 pts
48Warren County3.1-0.3 pts
56Boone County3-0.5 pts
56Bremer County3-0.6 pts
56Buena Vista County3-0.9 pts
56Cedar County3-0.4 pts
56Humboldt County3-0.3 pts
56Keokuk County3-0.5 pts
56Madison County3-0.4 pts
56Monroe County3-1.1 pts
56Montgomery County3+0.2 pts
56Poweshiek County3-0.7 pts
66Adams County2.90 pts
66Clay County2.9-0.5 pts
66Dickinson County2.90 pts
66Fremont County2.9-0.7 pts
66Guthrie County2.9-0.6 pts
66Hamilton County2.90 pts
66Howard County2.9-0.2 pts
66Mahaska County2.9-0.4 pts
66Monona County2.9-0.2 pts
66Wright County2.9-0.2 pts
76Clarke County2.8-0.4 pts
76Harrison County2.8-0.3 pts
76Marion County2.8-0.1 pts
76Plymouth County2.8-0.1 pts
76Sac County2.8-0.6 pts
76Wayne County2.8-0.6 pts
82Delaware County2.7-0.2 pts
82Ida County2.7-0.5 pts
82Washington County2.7-0.1 pts
85Chickasaw County2.6-0.5 pts
85Page County2.6-0.2 pts
85Palo Alto County2.6-0.3 pts
85Shelby County2.6-0.6 pts
85Winneshiek County2.6-0.4 pts
90Carroll County2.50 pts
90Ringgold County2.5-0.5 pts
92Cherokee County2.4-0.4 pts
92Lyon County2.4-0.2 pts
92Osceola County2.4-0.1 pts
92Sioux County2.4-0.1 pts
96Audubon County2.3-0.7 pts
96O'Brien County2.3-0.6 pts
96Taylor County2.3-0.2 pts
99Adair County2.1-0.3 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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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Winnebago County, with 8.4% in July 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Adair County, with 2.1% in July 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