RANKING · 2025 ACS · 99 SHOWN OF 99

Most sparsely populated, Iowa counties

Iowa counties with the fewest residents per square mile (2023). This list covers the 99 counties in Iowa that qualify, ranked against each other statewide.

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RELATEDLargest by population Fastest growing Fastest shrinking Most densely populated Best broadband access Worst broadband access

YEAR1990 2000 2010 2020 2025

RANKPLACESTATEPOPPOPULATION DENSITYVS 2000

01Adams County, IAIA3,6179−19%

02Ringgold County, IAIA4,6429−15%

03Taylor County, IAIA5,83511−16%

04Pocahontas County, IAIA6,81912−21%

05Monona County, IAIA8,53912−15%

06Audubon County, IAIA5,50912−19%

07Fremont County, IAIA6,52213−19%

08Wayne County, IAIA6,73813+0%

09Adair County, IAIA7,40313−10%

10Decatur County, IAIA7,65514−12%

11Van Buren County, IAIA7,13115−9%

12Kossuth County, IAIA14,32215−17%

13Osceola County, IAIA5,98015−15%

14Greene County, IAIA8,65815−16%

15Ida County, IAIA6,77716−14%

16Palo Alto County, IAIA8,89916−12%

17Sac County, IAIA9,52517−17%

18Calhoun County, IAIA9,56217−14%

19Keokuk County, IAIA9,79717−14%

20Franklin County, IAIA9,86817−8%

21Monroe County, IAIA7,40617−8%

22Guthrie County, IAIA10,78218−5%

23Worth County, IAIA7,33818−7%

24Davis County, IAIA9,23018+8%

25Hancock County, IAIA10,52818−13%

26Cherokee County, IAIA11,36920−13%

27Shelby County, IAIA11,68920−11%

28Howard County, IAIA9,41520−5%

29Lucas County, IAIA8,84721−6%

30Harrison County, IAIA14,62321−7%

31Lyon County, IAIA12,35421+5%

32Clayton County, IAIA16,84522−10%

33Humboldt County, IAIA9,40922−9%

34Wright County, IAIA12,80122−11%

35Clarke County, IAIA9,57422+5%

36Allamakee County, IAIA14,23822−3%

37Mitchell County, IAIA10,65023−2%

38Crawford County, IAIA16,23723−4%

39Cass County, IAIA12,96023−12%

40Emmet County, IAIA9,10723−17%

41Chickasaw County, IAIA11,66323−11%

42Tama County, IAIA16,79623−7%

43Montgomery County, IAIA10,00224−15%

44Butler County, IAIA14,04924−8%

45Appanoose County, IAIA12,07724−12%

46Grundy County, IAIA12,36125−0%

47O'Brien County, IAIA14,22025−6%

48Winnebago County, IAIA10,25126−13%

49Hamilton County, IAIA14,94426−9%

50Louisa County, IAIA10,41626−15%

51Fayette County, IAIA19,04726−13%

52Page County, IAIA14,85628−12%

53Union County, IAIA11,82928−4%

54Iowa County, IAIA16,50428+5%

55Clay County, IAIA16,20229−7%

56Winneshiek County, IAIA19,73329−7%

57Hardin County, IAIA16,45529−13%

58Floyd County, IAIA14,90130−12%

59Plymouth County, IAIA25,69730+3%

60Jackson County, IAIA19,28830−5%

61Delaware County, IAIA17,67431−4%

62Madison County, IAIA17,27031+23%

63Poweshiek County, IAIA18,36831−2%

64Cedar County, IAIA18,35932+1%

65Mills County, IAIA14,79334+2%

66Jefferson County, IAIA15,29135−6%

67Buena Vista County, IAIA20,44936+0%

68Carroll County, IAIA20,30336−5%

69Benton County, IAIA26,00436+3%

70Buchanan County, IAIA20,88337−1%

71Jones County, IAIA21,25337+5%

72Mahaska County, IAIA21,88038−2%

73Washington County, IAIA22,66740+10%

74Henry County, IAIA19,34945−5%

75Boone County, IAIA26,79947+2%

76Dickinson County, IAIA18,07748+10%

77Sioux County, IAIA36,77448+16%

78Webster County, IAIA36,83851−8%

79Jasper County, IAIA38,15352+3%

80Bremer County, IAIA25,29658+8%

81Marion County, IAIA34,19262+7%

82Lee County, IAIA32,30662−15%

83Clinton County, IAIA46,00266−8%

84Marshall County, IAIA39,89070+1%

85Cerro Gordo County, IAIA42,37275−9%

86Wapello County, IAIA35,21082−2%

87Des Moines County, IAIA38,07792−10%

88Muscatine County, IAIA41,85396+0%

89Pottawattamie County, IAIA92,99698+6%

90Warren County, IAIA57,331101+41%

91Woodbury County, IAIA106,649122+3%

92Dubuque County, IAIA99,381163+11%

93Story County, IAIA101,291177+27%

94Dallas County, IAIA118,457201+191%

95Black Hawk County, IAIA131,532232+3%

96Johnson County, IAIA160,044261+44%

97Linn County, IAIA232,028324+21%

98Scott County, IAIA175,259383+10%

99Polk County, IAIA516,546902+38%

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UPDATED 2026-06-02 · DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR ESTIMATES