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Which counties in Iowa are adding jobs fastest?

Lucas County (+38.2%), Adams County (+28.9%) and Cherokee County (+21.7%) added private-sector jobs fastest in Iowa between 2018 and 2023.

Data as of 2023 · updated

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All 99 ranked Iowa counties

Iowa counties ranked by private-sector job growth
RankCountyChange 2018–23Private jobs 2023Residents
1Lucas County+38.2%4,6638,847
2Adams County+28.9%1,2123,617
3Cherokee County+21.7%4,50511,369
4Dallas County+18.7%46,640118,457
5Mahaska County+17.8%7,58221,880
6Osceola County+17.0%1,8965,980
7Wayne County+14.4%1,5966,738
8Monroe County+14.2%2,4037,406
9Page County+12.8%5,91114,856
10Guthrie County+12.6%2,39210,782
11Sioux County+12.3%20,91036,774
12Wright County+12.0%4,31512,801
13Howard County+11.7%3,3509,415
14Warren County+10.9%9,99357,331
15Marion County+10.6%17,93434,192
16Pocahontas County+8.7%1,9346,819
17Cedar County+8.7%4,35518,359
18Polk County+7.7%295,413516,546
19Appanoose County+7.5%3,73112,077
20Montgomery County+7.1%3,42010,002
21Audubon County+6.3%1,4115,509
22Davis County+6.2%1,6199,230
23Clarke County+6.0%3,5609,574
24Story County+6.0%33,500101,291
25Jones County+5.9%4,62021,253
26Pottawattamie County+4.5%32,38492,996
27Scott County+4.4%86,426175,259
28Johnson County+4.1%68,965160,044
29Butler County+4.1%2,60214,049
30Greene County+2.9%2,9578,658
31Plymouth County+2.8%10,40525,697
32Sac County+2.7%2,2459,525
33Ringgold County+2.7%1,1124,642
34Dickinson County+2.6%7,74918,077
35Buchanan County+2.6%5,38720,883
36Madison County+2.2%2,85017,270
37Mitchell County+2.1%3,33410,650
38Poweshiek County+1.5%9,78918,368
39O'Brien County+1.3%5,33214,220
40Louisa County+1.1%3,08910,416
41Lyon County+1.1%3,74612,354
42Mills County+1.1%2,29114,793
43Chickasaw County+1.0%4,15711,663
44Dubuque County+0.9%56,35799,381
45Linn County+0.7%119,172232,028
46Black Hawk County+0.6%63,693131,532
47Hamilton County+0.6%4,55914,944
48Shelby County+0.5%5,04911,689
49Marshall County+0.2%13,18739,890
50Monona County+0.0%1,9358,539
51Carroll County−0.3%10,16820,303
52Cerro Gordo County−0.8%20,02442,372
53Buena Vista County−0.9%8,85520,449
54Decatur County−1.0%1,7447,655
55Franklin County−1.6%3,1399,868
56Webster County−1.6%16,14636,838
57Woodbury County−2.0%46,810106,649
58Cass County−2.1%4,66312,960
59Ida County−2.4%3,2756,777
60Clay County−2.7%7,01216,202
61Benton County−2.9%4,29626,004
62Grundy County−3.1%2,94212,361
63Washington County−3.3%6,47422,667
64Floyd County−3.3%5,19914,901
65Jefferson County−3.5%6,92215,291
66Palo Alto County−3.5%2,8818,899
67Adair County−3.9%1,8687,403
68Union County−4.1%4,68711,829
69Winnebago County−4.2%6,04310,251
70Fayette County−4.5%5,70619,047
71Winneshiek County−4.5%9,06519,733
72Clinton County−4.9%16,17046,002
73Harrison County−4.9%2,96814,623
74Delaware County−5.6%5,90617,674
75Boone County−5.9%6,49726,799
76Allamakee County−7.0%3,77514,238
77Calhoun County−7.5%2,2419,562
78Kossuth County−7.7%5,27614,322
79Keokuk County−7.9%1,5649,797
80Muscatine County−8.1%19,51941,853
81Jackson County−8.2%4,71719,288
82Des Moines County−8.6%18,10738,077
83Emmet County−8.8%2,7269,107
84Clayton County−9.3%4,99916,845
85Hancock County−9.7%3,64310,528
86Taylor County−10.1%1,5435,835
87Hardin County−10.2%4,84516,455
88Lee County−10.4%13,10132,306
89Bremer County−10.5%8,17825,296
90Wapello County−11.5%12,59435,210
91Humboldt County−11.7%3,1119,409
92Van Buren County−11.8%1,3897,131
93Worth County−11.9%1,6347,338
94Crawford County−12.1%5,12116,237
95Iowa County−12.8%7,36616,504
96Henry County−14.9%6,72619,349
97Tama County−17.4%3,56516,796
98Jasper County−19.1%7,46938,153
99Fremont County−23.1%1,5086,522

How this is ranked

The change in paid employees of private employers in mid-March between 2018 and 2023 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns). Government jobs and the self-employed are not counted. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

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Questions

Which county in Iowa has the fastest job growth?

Lucas County: +38.2%, ahead of Adams County (+28.9%) and Cherokee County (+21.7%), of 99 Iowa counties ranked.

How is this ranking calculated?

The change in paid employees of private employers in mid-March between 2018 and 2023 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns). Government jobs and the self-employed are not counted. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

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Private-sector job growth in other states

Across the U.S.