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Which counties in Iowa have the lowest unemployment?

Osceola County (2.3%), Sioux County (2.3%) and Carroll County (2.4%) had the lowest unemployment in Iowa in 2025.

Data as of 2025 · updated

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All 99 ranked Iowa counties

Iowa counties ranked by lowest unemployment rate
RankCountyRate 2025Change since 2019Residents
1Osceola County2.3%+0.3 pts5,980
2Sioux County2.3%+0.5 pts36,774
3Carroll County2.4%+0.6 pts20,303
4Taylor County2.4%+0.6 pts5,835
5Adair County2.5%+0.1 pts7,403
6Cherokee County2.6%+0.3 pts11,369
7Lyon County2.6%+0.8 pts12,354
8Plymouth County2.6%+0.3 pts25,697
9Adams County2.7%+0.7 pts3,617
10Johnson County2.7%+0.7 pts160,044
11O'Brien County2.7%+0.4 pts14,220
12Palo Alto County2.7%+0.7 pts8,899
13Washington County2.7%+0.4 pts22,667
14Audubon County2.8%+0.4 pts5,509
15Hamilton County2.8%+0.3 pts14,944
16Harrison County2.8%+0.5 pts14,623
17Mahaska County2.8%+0.3 pts21,880
18Marion County2.8%+0.7 pts34,192
19Mitchell County2.8%+1.1 pts10,650
20Shelby County2.8%+0.6 pts11,689
21Chickasaw County2.9%+0.3 pts11,663
22Kossuth County2.9%+0.6 pts14,322
23Montgomery County2.9%+0.4 pts10,002
24Page County2.9%+0.8 pts14,856
25Ringgold County2.9%+0.0 pts4,642
26Story County2.9%+0.9 pts101,291
27Wright County2.9%+0.2 pts12,801
28Buena Vista County3.0%+0.8 pts20,449
29Ida County3.0%+0.9 pts6,777
30Monona County3.0%+0.2 pts8,539
31Worth County3.0%+0.5 pts7,338
32Boone County3.1%+0.7 pts26,799
33Calhoun County3.1%+0.9 pts9,562
34Dallas County3.1%+1.3 pts118,457
35Delaware County3.1%+0.7 pts17,674
36Hancock County3.1%+0.8 pts10,528
37Hardin County3.1%+0.2 pts16,455
38Wayne County3.1%+0.8 pts6,738
39Cass County3.2%+0.3 pts12,960
40Clarke County3.2%+0.4 pts9,574
41Clay County3.2%+0.6 pts16,202
42Grundy County3.2%+0.7 pts12,361
43Howard County3.2%+0.5 pts9,415
44Humboldt County3.2%+0.5 pts9,409
45Sac County3.2%+0.8 pts9,525
46Warren County3.2%+0.7 pts57,331
47Winneshiek County3.2%+0.6 pts19,733
48Benton County3.3%+0.6 pts26,004
49Bremer County3.3%+1.0 pts25,296
50Cedar County3.3%+0.8 pts18,359
51Davis County3.3%+0.6 pts9,230
52Decatur County3.3%+0.9 pts7,655
53Madison County3.3%+0.0 pts17,270
54Poweshiek County3.3%+0.7 pts18,368
55Cerro Gordo County3.4%+0.7 pts42,372
56Dickinson County3.4%+0.5 pts18,077
57Greene County3.4%+0.8 pts8,658
58Buchanan County3.5%+0.8 pts20,883
59Dubuque County3.5%+0.8 pts99,381
60Franklin County3.5%+0.9 pts9,868
61Fremont County3.5%+0.6 pts6,522
62Guthrie County3.5%+0.7 pts10,782
63Henry County3.5%+0.9 pts19,349
64Keokuk County3.5%+0.3 pts9,797
65Pocahontas County3.5%+1.4 pts6,819
66Union County3.5%+0.3 pts11,829
67Van Buren County3.5%+0.6 pts7,131
68Winnebago County3.5%+1.2 pts10,251
69Woodbury County3.5%+0.8 pts106,649
70Jasper County3.6%+0.6 pts38,153
71Jefferson County3.6%+0.8 pts15,291
72Mills County3.6%+1.3 pts14,793
73Webster County3.6%+0.4 pts36,838
74Polk County3.7%+1.0 pts516,546
75Emmet County3.8%+1.1 pts9,107
76Fayette County3.8%+0.3 pts19,047
77Iowa County3.8%+1.4 pts16,504
78Linn County3.8%+1.1 pts232,028
79Louisa County3.8%+0.6 pts10,416
80Lucas County3.8%+1.7 pts8,847
81Muscatine County3.8%+1.1 pts41,853
82Pottawattamie County3.8%+1.3 pts92,996
83Butler County3.9%+0.6 pts14,049
84Floyd County3.9%+0.3 pts14,901
85Appanoose County4.0%+0.0 pts12,077
86Lee County4.0%+0.2 pts32,306
87Monroe County4.0%+0.9 pts7,406
88Black Hawk County4.1%+1.1 pts131,532
89Jackson County4.1%+0.9 pts19,288
90Allamakee County4.2%+0.9 pts14,238
91Des Moines County4.2%+0.5 pts38,077
92Jones County4.2%+1.1 pts21,253
93Clayton County4.3%+0.6 pts16,845
94Scott County4.3%+1.1 pts175,259
95Wapello County4.3%+0.7 pts35,210
96Clinton County4.5%+0.9 pts46,002
97Crawford County4.6%+1.5 pts16,237
98Tama County4.8%+1.6 pts16,796
99Marshall County6.4%+2.5 pts39,890

How this is ranked

The annual average unemployment rate for 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics). Lowest first. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. 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 lowest unemployment rate?

Osceola County: 2.3%, ahead of Sioux County (2.3%) and Carroll County (2.4%), of 99 Iowa counties ranked.

How is this ranking calculated?

The annual average unemployment rate for 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics). Lowest first. 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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