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Worth County, IA: population growth, jobs and income

Worth County gained 38 residents between 2024 and 2025 (+0.5%).

Worth County had an estimated 7,338 residents in 2025, down 1.3% (99 fewer people) since 2020. That is slower than Iowa as a whole (+1.5%), and the 60th fastest growth of 99 counties in Iowa.

Data as of 2025 · updated

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In the Worth County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Worth County, ranked against Iowa and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$758/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes8.5%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months42025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
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Headline numbers

New homes permitted

5

2025

0.7 per 1,000 residents

Small base: the change swings on a few homes or people, so we don't show it.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025. Housing units authorized by building permits in the year.

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration added 39 people in 2025: more people moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out.

Private employers had 1,634 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −11.9% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 3.0% in 2025, 0.5 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 5 new homes in 2025, or 0.7 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $78,008 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +29.1% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 2,283rd.

Part of the Mason City, IA micro area.

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Email me when Worth County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

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Worth County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
20257,338+38
20247,300−30
20237,330+0
20227,330−55
20217,385−52
20207,437–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Worth County

Worth County lost 99 people since 2020; the biggest drag was domestic migration (−84).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths−5−34
International migrationfrom and to other countries+4+19
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties+39−84
Total change+38−99

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn IowaAmong U.S. counties
Population growth60th of 992,283rd of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents15th of 991,024th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth93rd of 992,873rd of 3,092
Median household income18th of 99670th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate31st of 99394th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents80th of 992,293rd of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Worth County, IA as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the Cerro Gordo County and Mower County reports too, $149 for all 3.

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Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Worth County's population change (−1.3%) was ahead of 4 of its 6 neighbouring counties and behind 2 (Mitchell County and Mower County, MN).

Its median household income ($78,008, 2020–24) is higher than in all 6 of its neighbouring counties.

Worth County, IA and its 6 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Worth County, IA This county7,338−1.3%5.30.7$78,008
Cerro Gordo County, IA42,372−1.5%3.62.7$68,189
Freeborn County, MN30,440−1.5%3.40.4$71,023
Mitchell County, IA10,650+0.6%6.43.5$71,365
Winnebago County, IA10,251−3.8%−3.40.4$67,642
Hancock County, IA10,528−2.2%−7.90.7$70,601
Mower County, MN40,971+2.3%0.43.3$73,074

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 99 Iowa counties · Every state

Questions

Is Worth County growing?

No. Its population fell 1.3% between 2020 and 2025, about 99 fewer people (Census Bureau population estimates). Iowa as a whole changed +1.5% over the same years. That ranks 60th of 99 counties in Iowa for population growth.

How many people moved to Worth County?

On net, about 39 people in 2025: that many more moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Worth County?

It averaged 3.0% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Worth County?

About 7,338 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Worth County?

Private employers there had 1,634 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −11.9% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Iowa

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Iowa county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Worth County data alerts

Email me when Worth County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Worth County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.