Counties with the highest unemployment in Iowa
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Iowa using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in February 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Iowa.
#50. Chickasaw County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 6,498 people (200 unemployed)
#49. Cass County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,771 people (213 unemployed)
#48. Cerro Gordo County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 21,766 people (680 unemployed)
#47. Pottawattamie County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 47,645 people (1,477 unemployed)
#46. Washington County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,877 people (385 unemployed)
#45. Woodbury County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 54,993 people (1,751 unemployed)
#44. Polk County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 277,499 people (8,764 unemployed)
#43. Van Buren County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,591 people (117 unemployed)
#42. Worth County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,909 people (128 unemployed)
#41. Delaware County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 10,151 people (338 unemployed)
#40. Poweshiek County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 10,404 people (340 unemployed)
#39. Wapello County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,651 people (553 unemployed)
#38. Black Hawk County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 66,242 people (2,192 unemployed)
#37. Clarke County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 5,086 people (175 unemployed)
#36. Grundy County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,275 people (213 unemployed)
#35. Dubuque County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 55,865 people (1,925 unemployed)
#34. Franklin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,587 people (197 unemployed)
#33. Scott County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 85,508 people (3,016 unemployed)
#32. Emmet County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,634 people (168 unemployed)
#31. Union County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,898 people (213 unemployed)
#30. Appanoose County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,044 people (218 unemployed)
#29. Monona County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,291 people (160 unemployed)
#28. Cedar County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,450 people (390 unemployed)
#27. Lee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,297 people (523 unemployed)
#26. Muscatine County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,338 people (756 unemployed)
#25. Louisa County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,845 people (220 unemployed)
#24. Iowa County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,899 people (375 unemployed)
#23. Dickinson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 10,007 people (380 unemployed)
#22. Buchanan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,130 people (418 unemployed)
#21. Jasper County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,307 people (700 unemployed)
#20. Hardin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 7,802 people (306 unemployed)
#19. Keokuk County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 5,209 people (208 unemployed)
#18. Guthrie County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,689 people (230 unemployed)
#17. Butler County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,198 people (330 unemployed)
#16. Floyd County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,286 people (333 unemployed)
#15. Clinton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 21,312 people (849 unemployed)
#14. Fayette County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,553 people (441 unemployed)
#13. Benton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,914 people (548 unemployed)
#12. Linn County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 119,184 people (4,988 unemployed)
#11. Des Moines County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,559 people (768 unemployed)
#10. Madison County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,890 people (411 unemployed)
#9. Jackson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 10,391 people (486 unemployed)
#8. Winneshiek County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,301 people (536 unemployed)
#7. Howard County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,323 people (261 unemployed)
#6. Jones County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,315 people (521 unemployed)
#5. Allamakee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,028 people (446 unemployed)
#4. Clayton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 9,326 people (586 unemployed)
#3. Tama County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,286 people (591 unemployed)
#2. Crawford County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,675 people (500 unemployed)
#1. Marshall County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,835 people (1,752 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
