
Fastest-growing counties in Iowa
Fastest-growing counties in Iowa
From 2018 to 2019, the U.S. population grew by .48%, its slowest rate in 100 years. Declining births, increasing deaths largely due to the graying Baby Boomer population, and a crackdown on immigration have contributed to many states seeing net population losses in recent years.
But in other pockets of the country, populations are growing. These shifts can be due to job opportunities, high quality of life, easy commutability to job centers, low rents, or any combination of these or other factors. Stacker compiled a list of the fastest-growing counties in Iowa using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest population growth from 2010 to 2019, based on 5-year estimates.
A county typically sees population growth as a “bedroom community” (a municipality with an atypically large commuting population) to a large city. These communities are typically quieter than their feeder cities, offer lower rents and a higher quality of living, and are remote enough to be immune to the feeder city’s crime, traffic, and crowds. Keep reading to see if your home county made the list.
#30. Jasper County
--- #1,666 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -0.2%
--- #29 among counties in Iowa, #1,599 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 36,971
--- #17 largest county in Iowa, #1,250 largest county nationwide
#29. Boone County
--- #1,635 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -0.2%
--- #28 among counties in Iowa, #1,597 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 26,370
--- #23 largest county in Iowa, #1,550 largest county nationwide
#28. Union County
--- #1,631 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -0.4%
--- #30 among counties in Iowa, #1,641 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 12,358
--- #61 largest county in Iowa, #2,265 largest county nationwide
#27. Wayne County
--- #1,524 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +0.4%
--- #26 among counties in Iowa, #1,481 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 6,429
--- #94 largest county in Iowa, #2,718 largest county nationwide
#26. Cedar County
--- #1,498 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +0.2%
--- #27 among counties in Iowa, #1,517 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 18,457
--- #37 largest county in Iowa, #1,895 largest county nationwide
#25. Buena Vista County
--- #1,454 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +0.4%
--- #25 among counties in Iowa, #1,480 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 20,058
--- #33 largest county in Iowa, #1,826 largest county nationwide
#24. Crawford County
--- #1,449 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +0.5%
--- #23 among counties in Iowa, #1,464 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 17,034
--- #44 largest county in Iowa, #1,975 largest county nationwide
#23. Buchanan County
--- #1,440 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +0.4%
--- #24 among counties in Iowa, #1,472 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 21,118
--- #29 largest county in Iowa, #1,768 largest county nationwide
#22. Plymouth County
--- #1,392 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +0.5%
--- #22 among counties in Iowa, #1,454 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 25,068
--- #25 largest county in Iowa, #1,603 largest county nationwide
#21. Clarke County
--- #1,387 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +1.5%
--- #19 among counties in Iowa, #1,280 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 9,360
--- #79 largest county in Iowa, #2,475 largest county nationwide
#20. Lyon County
--- #1,329 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +1.8%
--- #17 among counties in Iowa, #1,231 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 11,776
--- #64 largest county in Iowa, #2,304 largest county nationwide
#19. Davis County
--- #1,317 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +2.7%
--- #14 among counties in Iowa, #1,099 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 8,920
--- #83 largest county in Iowa, #2,510 largest county nationwide
#18. Muscatine County
--- #1,214 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +0.9%
--- #21 among counties in Iowa, #1,389 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 42,889
--- #13 largest county in Iowa, #1,116 largest county nationwide
#17. Dickinson County
--- #1,175 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +2.8%
--- #13 among counties in Iowa, #1,089 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 17,127
--- #42 largest county in Iowa, #1,968 largest county nationwide
#16. Washington County
--- #1,166 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +2.2%
--- #16 among counties in Iowa, #1,178 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 22,100
--- #28 largest county in Iowa, #1,723 largest county nationwide
#15. Madison County
--- #1,144 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +3.4%
--- #11 among counties in Iowa, #996 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 16,012
--- #48 largest county in Iowa, #2,038 largest county nationwide
#14. Bremer County
--- #1,082 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +2.8%
--- #12 among counties in Iowa, #1,087 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 24,864
--- #26 largest county in Iowa, #1,611 largest county nationwide
#13. Woodbury County
--- #891 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +1.4%
--- #20 among counties in Iowa, #1,311 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 102,586
--- #6 largest county in Iowa, #589 largest county nationwide
#12. Sioux County
--- #873 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +4.3%
--- #10 among counties in Iowa, #870 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 34,827
--- #20 largest county in Iowa, #1,305 largest county nationwide
#11. Pottawattamie County
--- #867 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +1.6%
--- #18 among counties in Iowa, #1,274 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 93,393
--- #9 largest county in Iowa, #629 largest county nationwide
#10. Jefferson County
--- #856 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +9.0%
--- #6 among counties in Iowa, #462 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 18,148
--- #39 largest county in Iowa, #1,913 largest county nationwide
#9. Black Hawk County
--- #648 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +2.4%
--- #15 among counties in Iowa, #1,138 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 132,393
--- #5 largest county in Iowa, #480 largest county nationwide
#8. Dubuque County
--- #570 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +4.8%
--- #9 among counties in Iowa, #821 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 96,982
--- #7 largest county in Iowa, #614 largest county nationwide
#7. Warren County
--- #556 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +10.4%
--- #5 among counties in Iowa, #378 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 50,076
--- #11 largest county in Iowa, #984 largest county nationwide
#6. Story County
--- #409 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +10.7%
--- #4 among counties in Iowa, #361 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 96,941
--- #8 largest county in Iowa, #615 largest county nationwide
#5. Scott County
--- #387 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +6.3%
--- #8 among counties in Iowa, #662 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 172,446
--- #3 largest county in Iowa, #379 largest county nationwide
#4. Linn County
--- #302 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +7.7%
--- #7 among counties in Iowa, #550 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 223,861
--- #2 largest county in Iowa, #301 largest county nationwide
#3. Johnson County
--- #249 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +17.0%
--- #2 among counties in Iowa, #149 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 148,577
--- #4 largest county in Iowa, #443 largest county nationwide
#2. Dallas County
--- #218 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +41.1%
--- #1 among counties in Iowa, #15 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 87,099
--- #10 largest county in Iowa, #662 largest county nationwide

#1. Polk County
--- #86 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +14.4%
--- #3 among counties in Iowa, #210 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 479,612
--- #1 largest county in Iowa, #144 largest county nationwide



