RANKING · 2020 CENSUS · 99 SHOWN OF 99

Most sparsely populated, Iowa counties · 2020

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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YEAR1990 2000 2010 2020 2025

RANKPLACESTATEPOPPOPULATION DENSITYVS 2000

01Ringgold County, IAIA4,6429−15%

02Adams County, IAIA3,6179−17%

03Taylor County, IAIA5,83511−15%

04Pocahontas County, IAIA6,81912−18%

05Wayne County, IAIA6,73812−3%

06Monona County, IAIA8,53913−13%

07Audubon County, IAIA5,50913−17%

08Fremont County, IAIA6,52213−18%

09Adair County, IAIA7,40313−9%

10Decatur County, IAIA7,65514−12%

11Van Buren County, IAIA7,13115−8%

12Kossuth County, IAIA14,32215−14%

13Greene County, IAIA8,65815−15%

14Osceola County, IAIA5,98016−12%

15Palo Alto County, IAIA8,89916−11%

16Ida County, IAIA6,77716−11%

17Sac County, IAIA9,52517−15%

18Franklin County, IAIA9,86817−6%

19Keokuk County, IAIA9,79717−12%

20Calhoun County, IAIA9,56217−11%

21Monroe County, IAIA7,40617−5%

22Guthrie County, IAIA10,78218−6%

23Davis County, IAIA9,23018+7%

24Worth County, IAIA7,33819−6%

25Hancock County, IAIA10,52819−11%

26Shelby County, IAIA11,68920−11%

27Howard County, IAIA9,41520−5%

28Lucas County, IAIA8,84720−8%

29Cherokee County, IAIA11,36920−11%

30Lyon County, IAIA12,35420+1%

31Harrison County, IAIA14,62321−7%

32Clayton County, IAIA16,84522−9%

33Allamakee County, IAIA14,23822−4%

34Humboldt County, IAIA9,40922−8%

35Wright County, IAIA12,80122−10%

36Mitchell County, IAIA10,65023−3%

37Clarke County, IAIA9,57423+7%

38Crawford County, IAIA16,23723−2%

39Cass County, IAIA12,96023−11%

40Emmet County, IAIA9,10724−15%

41Tama County, IAIA16,79624−5%

42Chickasaw County, IAIA11,66324−8%

43Montgomery County, IAIA10,00224−12%

44Grundy County, IAIA12,36125−0%

45Butler County, IAIA14,04925−6%

46O'Brien County, IAIA14,22025−6%

47Appanoose County, IAIA12,07725−10%

48Hamilton County, IAIA14,94426−9%

49Winnebago County, IAIA10,25127−9%

50Fayette County, IAIA19,04727−11%

51Louisa County, IAIA10,41627−11%

52Iowa County, IAIA16,50428+6%

53Page County, IAIA14,85628−10%

54Union County, IAIA11,82929−1%

55Clay County, IAIA16,20229−6%

56Winneshiek County, IAIA19,73329−6%

57Madison County, IAIA17,27029+18%

58Hardin County, IAIA16,45530−10%

59Plymouth County, IAIA25,69730+3%

60Delaware County, IAIA17,67430−5%

61Jackson County, IAIA19,28831−4%

62Floyd County, IAIA14,90131−8%

63Poweshiek County, IAIA18,36832−1%

64Cedar County, IAIA18,35932+2%

65Mills County, IAIA14,79333−0%

66Benton County, IAIA26,00436+1%

67Jones County, IAIA21,25336+2%

68Jefferson County, IAIA15,29136−3%

69Buchanan County, IAIA20,88336−3%

70Buena Vista County, IAIA20,44936+2%

71Carroll County, IAIA20,30336−3%

72Mahaska County, IAIA21,88039−1%

73Washington County, IAIA22,66740+9%

74Dickinson County, IAIA18,07747+8%

75Sioux County, IAIA36,77447+14%

76Boone County, IAIA26,79947+2%

77Henry County, IAIA19,34947+1%

78Webster County, IAIA36,83852−8%

79Jasper County, IAIA38,15352+2%

80Bremer County, IAIA25,29657+7%

81Marion County, IAIA34,19260+4%

82Lee County, IAIA32,30665−12%

83Clinton County, IAIA46,00267−7%

84Marshall County, IAIA39,89070+2%

85Cerro Gordo County, IAIA42,37276−7%

86Wapello County, IAIA35,21082−2%

87Warren County, IAIA57,33192+29%

88Des Moines County, IAIA38,07794−8%

89Pottawattamie County, IAIA92,99698+7%

90Muscatine County, IAIA41,85399+4%

91Woodbury County, IAIA106,649121+2%

92Dubuque County, IAIA99,381163+11%

93Dallas County, IAIA118,457169+145%

94Story County, IAIA101,291172+23%

95Black Hawk County, IAIA131,532232+2%

96Johnson County, IAIA160,044249+38%

97Linn County, IAIA232,028321+20%

98Scott County, IAIA175,259381+10%

99Polk County, IAIA516,546860+31%

SHOWING 1–99 OF 99

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