Which counties in Iowa are building the most new homes?
Clarke County (14.4 per 1,000 residents), Marion County (9.9 per 1,000 residents) and Sioux County (9.8 per 1,000 residents) permitted the most new homes for their size in Iowa in 2025.
Data as of 2025 · updated
All 99 ranked Iowa counties
| Rank | County | Per 1,000 residents, 2025 | Homes permitted 2025 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clarke County | 14.4 | 138 | 9,574 |
| 2 | Marion County | 9.9 | 339 | 34,192 |
| 3 | Sioux County | 9.8 | 359 | 36,774 |
| 4 | Polk County | 9.2 | 4,730 | 516,546 |
| 5 | Warren County | 8.1 | 465 | 57,331 |
| 6 | Johnson County | 7.8 | 1,241 | 160,044 |
| 7 | Boone County | 7.7 | 207 | 26,799 |
| 8 | Dallas County | 7.4 | 875 | 118,457 |
| 9 | Allamakee County | 6.9 | 98 | 14,238 |
| 10 | Dickinson County | 6.5 | 117 | 18,077 |
| 11 | Floyd County | 5.2 | 77 | 14,901 |
| 12 | Cherokee County | 4.9 | 56 | 11,369 |
| 13 | Linn County | 4.1 | 941 | 232,028 |
| 14 | Madison County | 3.8 | 66 | 17,270 |
| 15 | Clay County | 3.8 | 61 | 16,202 |
| 16 | Black Hawk County | 3.7 | 488 | 131,532 |
| 17 | Cedar County | 3.6 | 67 | 18,359 |
| 18 | Pottawattamie County | 3.6 | 334 | 92,996 |
| 19 | Mitchell County | 3.5 | 37 | 10,650 |
| 20 | Dubuque County | 3.4 | 334 | 99,381 |
| 21 | Lyon County | 3.3 | 41 | 12,354 |
| 22 | Adams County | 3.3 | 12 | 3,617 |
| 23 | Clayton County | 3.3 | 55 | 16,845 |
| 24 | Adair County | 3.1 | 23 | 7,403 |
| 25 | Guthrie County | 3.1 | 33 | 10,782 |
| 26 | Mahaska County | 3.0 | 66 | 21,880 |
| 27 | Buchanan County | 3.0 | 62 | 20,883 |
| 28 | Montgomery County | 2.9 | 29 | 10,002 |
| 29 | Muscatine County | 2.8 | 119 | 41,853 |
| 30 | Cerro Gordo County | 2.7 | 116 | 42,372 |
| 31 | Lee County | 2.5 | 80 | 32,306 |
| 32 | Poweshiek County | 2.4 | 44 | 18,368 |
| 33 | Fremont County | 2.3 | 15 | 6,522 |
| 34 | Woodbury County | 2.2 | 238 | 106,649 |
| 35 | Des Moines County | 2.1 | 81 | 38,077 |
| 36 | Scott County | 2.1 | 372 | 175,259 |
| 37 | Jasper County | 2.1 | 80 | 38,153 |
| 38 | Louisa County | 2.0 | 21 | 10,416 |
| 39 | Union County | 1.9 | 23 | 11,829 |
| 40 | Delaware County | 1.9 | 33 | 17,674 |
| 41 | Clinton County | 1.8 | 85 | 46,002 |
| 42 | Story County | 1.8 | 185 | 101,291 |
| 43 | Bremer County | 1.8 | 46 | 25,296 |
| 44 | Winneshiek County | 1.8 | 35 | 19,733 |
| 45 | Carroll County | 1.8 | 36 | 20,303 |
| 46 | Plymouth County | 1.8 | 45 | 25,697 |
| 47 | Mills County | 1.7 | 25 | 14,793 |
| 48 | Jackson County | 1.7 | 32 | 19,288 |
| 49 | Henry County | 1.7 | 32 | 19,349 |
| 50 | Monroe County | 1.6 | 12 | 7,406 |
| 51 | Grundy County | 1.6 | 20 | 12,361 |
| 52 | Fayette County | 1.6 | 30 | 19,047 |
| 53 | Emmet County | 1.5 | 14 | 9,107 |
| 54 | Humboldt County | 1.5 | 14 | 9,409 |
| 55 | Wright County | 1.5 | 19 | 12,801 |
| 56 | Sac County | 1.5 | 14 | 9,525 |
| 57 | Harrison County | 1.4 | 20 | 14,623 |
| 58 | Calhoun County | 1.4 | 13 | 9,562 |
| 59 | Ringgold County | 1.3 | 6 | 4,642 |
| 60 | Butler County | 1.3 | 18 | 14,049 |
| 61 | Audubon County | 1.3 | 7 | 5,509 |
| 62 | O'Brien County | 1.3 | 18 | 14,220 |
| 63 | Wapello County | 1.2 | 42 | 35,210 |
| 64 | Crawford County | 1.2 | 19 | 16,237 |
| 65 | Washington County | 1.1 | 25 | 22,667 |
| 66 | Hardin County | 1.1 | 18 | 16,455 |
| 67 | Benton County | 1.1 | 28 | 26,004 |
| 68 | Appanoose County | 0.9 | 11 | 12,077 |
| 69 | Cass County | 0.8 | 11 | 12,960 |
| 70 | Jones County | 0.8 | 18 | 21,253 |
| 71 | Marshall County | 0.8 | 33 | 39,890 |
| 72 | Monona County | 0.8 | 7 | 8,539 |
| 73 | Page County | 0.8 | 12 | 14,856 |
| 74 | Hamilton County | 0.8 | 12 | 14,944 |
| 75 | Buena Vista County | 0.8 | 16 | 20,449 |
| 76 | Van Buren County | 0.7 | 5 | 7,131 |
| 77 | Greene County | 0.7 | 6 | 8,658 |
| 78 | Chickasaw County | 0.7 | 8 | 11,663 |
| 79 | Taylor County | 0.7 | 4 | 5,835 |
| 80 | Worth County | 0.7 | 5 | 7,338 |
| 81 | Palo Alto County | 0.7 | 6 | 8,899 |
| 82 | Hancock County | 0.7 | 7 | 10,528 |
| 83 | Howard County | 0.6 | 6 | 9,415 |
| 84 | Webster County | 0.6 | 23 | 36,838 |
| 85 | Iowa County | 0.5 | 9 | 16,504 |
| 86 | Osceola County | 0.5 | 3 | 5,980 |
| 87 | Wayne County | 0.4 | 3 | 6,738 |
| 88 | Winnebago County | 0.4 | 4 | 10,251 |
| 89 | Franklin County | 0.3 | 3 | 9,868 |
| 90 | Tama County | 0.3 | 5 | 16,796 |
| 91 | Ida County | 0.3 | 2 | 6,777 |
| 92 | Kossuth County | 0.3 | 4 | 14,322 |
| 93 | Shelby County | 0.3 | 3 | 11,689 |
| 94 | Lucas County | 0.2 | 2 | 8,847 |
| 95 | Jefferson County | 0.1 | 2 | 15,291 |
| 96 | Decatur County | 0.1 | 1 | 7,655 |
| 97 | Davis County | 0.1 | 1 | 9,230 |
| 98 | Keokuk County | 0.1 | 1 | 9,797 |
| 99 | Pocahontas County | 0.0 | 0 | 6,819 |
How this is ranked
Housing units authorized by building permits in 2025 (Census Bureau Building Permits Survey), per 1,000 residents. Permits count homes authorized, not finished. 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, Building Permits Survey. 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 is building the most new homes?
Clarke County: 14.4 per 1,000 residents, ahead of Marion County (9.9 per 1,000 residents) and Sioux County (9.8 per 1,000 residents), of 99 Iowa counties ranked.
How is this ranking calculated?
Housing units authorized by building permits in 2025 (Census Bureau Building Permits Survey), per 1,000 residents. Permits count homes authorized, not finished. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.
More county rankings for Iowa
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents in other states
- Alabama
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- Kentucky
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