RANKING · 2000 CENSUS · 99 SHOWN OF 99

Most sparsely populated, Iowa counties · 2000

Iowa counties with the fewest residents per square mile (2000). This list covers the 99 counties in Iowa that qualify, ranked against each other statewide. The median across all 99 is 29.

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SAME RANKING BYCities States Metros

RELATEDLargest by population Fastest growing Fastest shrinking Most population gained Most population lost Most densely populated

YEAR1990 2000 2010 2020 2025

RANKPLACESTATEPOPPOPULATION DENSITYVS 1990

01Ringgold County, IAIA4,64210+1%

02Adams County, IAIA3,61711−8%

03Wayne County, IAIA6,73813−5%

04Taylor County, IAIA5,83513−2%

05Monona County, IAIA8,539140%

06Adair County, IAIA7,40314−2%

07Pocahontas County, IAIA6,81915−9%

08Audubon County, IAIA5,50915−7%

09Fremont County, IAIA6,52216−3%

10Van Buren County, IAIA7,13116+2%

11Decatur County, IAIA7,65516+4%

12Davis County, IAIA9,23017+3%

13Osceola County, IAIA5,98018−4%

14Kossuth County, IAIA14,32218−8%

15Palo Alto County, IAIA8,89918−5%

16Ida County, IAIA6,77718−6%

17Greene County, IAIA8,65818+3%

18Franklin County, IAIA9,86818−6%

19Monroe County, IAIA7,40618−1%

20Guthrie County, IAIA10,78219+4%

21Calhoun County, IAIA9,56220−3%

22Keokuk County, IAIA9,79720−2%

23Worth County, IAIA7,33820−1%

24Lyon County, IAIA12,35420−2%

25Sac County, IAIA9,52520−6%

26Howard County, IAIA9,41521+1%

27Clarke County, IAIA9,57421+10%

28Hancock County, IAIA10,52821−4%

29Lucas County, IAIA8,84722+4%

30Shelby County, IAIA11,689220%

31Harrison County, IAIA14,62322+6%

32Cherokee County, IAIA11,36923−8%

33Allamakee County, IAIA14,23823+6%

34Mitchell County, IAIA10,650230%

35Crawford County, IAIA16,23724+1%

36Humboldt County, IAIA9,40924−3%

37Clayton County, IAIA16,84524−2%

38Grundy County, IAIA12,36125+3%

39Wright County, IAIA12,801250%

40Madison County, IAIA17,27025+12%

41Tama County, IAIA16,79625+4%

42Chickasaw County, IAIA11,66326−2%

43Cass County, IAIA12,96026−3%

44O'Brien County, IAIA14,22026−2%

45Butler County, IAIA14,04926−3%

46Iowa County, IAIA16,50427+7%

47Appanoose County, IAIA12,077280%

48Montgomery County, IAIA10,00228−3%

49Emmet County, IAIA9,10728−5%

50Hamilton County, IAIA14,94429+2%

51Plymouth County, IAIA25,69729+6%

52Union County, IAIA11,82929−3%

53Winnebago County, IAIA10,25129−3%

54Fayette County, IAIA19,04730+1%

55Louisa County, IAIA10,41630+5%

56Clay County, IAIA16,20231−1%

57Winneshiek County, IAIA19,73331+2%

58Cedar County, IAIA18,35931+5%

59Page County, IAIA14,85632+1%

60Delaware County, IAIA17,67432+2%

61Jackson County, IAIA19,28832+2%

62Poweshiek County, IAIA18,36832−1%

63Hardin County, IAIA16,45533−1%

64Mills County, IAIA14,79333+10%

65Floyd County, IAIA14,90134−1%

66Jones County, IAIA21,25335+4%

67Benton County, IAIA26,00435+13%

68Buena Vista County, IAIA20,44936+2%

69Washington County, IAIA22,66736+5%

70Buchanan County, IAIA20,88337+1%

71Jefferson County, IAIA15,29137−1%

72Carroll County, IAIA20,303380%

73Mahaska County, IAIA21,88039+4%

74Sioux County, IAIA36,77441+6%

75Dickinson County, IAIA18,07743+10%

76Boone County, IAIA26,79946+4%

77Henry County, IAIA19,34947+6%

78Jasper County, IAIA38,15351+7%

79Bremer County, IAIA25,29654+2%

80Webster County, IAIA36,838560%

81Marion County, IAIA34,19258+7%

82Marshall County, IAIA39,89069+3%

83Dallas County, IAIA118,45769+37%

84Warren County, IAIA57,33171+13%

85Clinton County, IAIA46,00272−2%

86Lee County, IAIA32,30674−2%

87Cerro Gordo County, IAIA42,37282−1%

88Wapello County, IAIA35,21083+1%

89Pottawattamie County, IAIA92,99692+6%

90Muscatine County, IAIA41,85395+5%

91Des Moines County, IAIA38,077102−1%

92Woodbury County, IAIA106,649119+6%

93Story County, IAIA101,291140+8%

94Dubuque County, IAIA99,381147+3%

95Johnson County, IAIA160,044181+15%

96Black Hawk County, IAIA131,532226+3%

97Linn County, IAIA232,028267+14%

98Scott County, IAIA175,259346+5%

99Polk County, IAIA516,546654+15%

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UPDATED 2026-09-11 · DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU DECENNIAL CENSUS