List of counties in Iowa

Map of counties numbered as in the National Atlas of the United States

This is a list of the ninety-nine counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The first two counties, Des Moines County and Dubuque County, were created in 1834 when Iowa was part of the Michigan Territory. Counties continued to be created by the state government until 1857, when the last county, Humboldt County, was created. One of the most significant days in Iowa county history was January 15, 1851, on which 49 counties were created.

Map of Iowa's counties

The Iowa Constitution of 1857, which, with amendments, is still in effect today, states that counties must have an area of at least 432 square miles. However, multiple exceptions to this rule were granted. Worth, Dickinson, Emmet, Osceola, and Winnebago County have an area significantly less than the required amount. Note that in the table below, only land area is listed, and the Constitution deals with total area (including water area).

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

List of counties in Iowa

County	FIPS code	County seat	#	Established	Formed from	Etymology	Population	Area	Map
Adair County	001	Greenfield	69	Template:Dts2	Cass County	John Adair (1757–1840), sixth governor of Kentucky	8,243	569 mi² (916 km²)
Adams County	003	Corning	81	Template:Dts2	Taylor County	John Adams, second president of the United States (1797–1801)	4,482	424 mi² (682 km²)
Allamakee County	005	Waukon	11	Template:Dts2	Clayton County	Allen Magee (or Allan Makee), an early Indian trader	14,675	640 mi² (1,030 km²)
Appanoose County	007	Centerville	96	Template:Dts2	Davis County	Appanoose, Native American who headed peace party in the Black Hawk War	13,721	496 mi² (798 km²)
Audubon County	009	Audubon	57	Template:Dts2	Black Hawk County and Cass County	John James Audubon (1785–1851), ornithologist and artist	6,830	443 mi² (713 km²)
Benton County	011	Vinton	51	Template:Dts2	Native American lands and Wisconsin Territory	Thomas Hart Benton, United States Senator (1821–1851)	25,308	716 mi² (1,152 km²)
Black Hawk County	013	Waterloo	39	Template:Dts2	Delaware County	Black Hawk (1767–1838), chief of Fox and Sac Indians and leader in the Black Hawk War	128,012	567 mi² (912 km²)
Boone County	015	Boone	47	Template:Dts2	Polk County	Nathan Boone (1781–1863), one of the first to survey Iowa	26,224	572 mi² (921 km²)
Bremer County	017	Waverly	30	Template:Dts2	Native American lands and Winnebago County	Fredrika Bremer (1801–1865), Swedish poet and author	23,325	428 mi² (689 km²)
Buchanan County	019	Independence	40	Template:Dts2	Delaware County and Wisconsin Territory	James Buchanan, fifteenth president (1857–1861)	21,093	571 mi² (919 km²)
Buena Vista County	021	Storm Lake	24	Template:Dts2	Clay County and Sac County	Battle of Buena Vista, a battle during the Mexican-American War	20,411	575 mi² (925 km²)
Butler County	023	Allison	29	Template:Dts2	Black Hawk County and Buchanan County	William Orlando Butler (1791–1880), unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Vice President	15,305	580 mi² (933 km²)
Calhoun County	025	Rockwell City	34	Template:Dts2	Fox County (renamed)	John Caldwell Calhoun, Vice President (1825–1832)	11,115	570 mi² (917 km²)
Carroll County	027	Carroll	45	Template:Dts2	Guthrie County	Charles Carroll (1737–1832), longest lived signer of the Declaration of Independence	21,421	569 mi² (916 km²)
Cass County	029	Atlantic	68	Template:Dts2	Pottawattamie County	Lewis Cass, United States Senator from Michigan and unsuccessful candidate for president (1848)	14,684	564 mi² (908 km²)
Cedar County	031	Tipton	65	Template:Dts2	Wisconsin Territory	Red Cedar River, river which runs through county	18,187	580 mi² (933 km²)
Cerro Gordo County	033	Mason City	17	Template:Dts2	Floyd County	Battle of Cerro Gordo, battle during the Mexican-American War	46,447	568 mi² (914 km²)
Cherokee County	035	Cherokee	23	Template:Dts2	Crawford County	Cherokee Native American tribe	13,035	577 mi² (929 km²)
Chickasaw County	037	New Hampton	19	Template:Dts2	Fayette County	Chickasaw Native American tribe	13,095	505 mi² (813 km²)
Clarke County	039	Osceola	83	Template:Dts2	Lucas County	James Clarke, third Governor of Iowa Territory (1845–1846)	9,133	431 mi² (694 km²)
Clay County	041	Spencer	14	Template:Dts2	Native American lands	Henry Clay, Jr. (1807–1847), officer in the Mexican-American War	17,372	569 mi² (916 km²)
Clayton County	043	Elkader	21	Template:Dts2	Dubuque County and Wisconsin Territory	John M. Clayton (1796–1856), United States Senator from Delaware	18,678	779 mi² (1,254 km²)
Clinton County	045	Clinton	66	Template:Dts2	Dubuque County and Wisconsin Territory	DeWitt Clinton (1769–1828), Governor of New York	50,149	695 mi² (1,118 km²)
Crawford County	047	Denison	44	Template:Dts2	Shelby County	William Harris Crawford (1772–1834), United States Senator from Georgia	16,942	714 mi² (1,149 km²)
Dallas County	049	Adel	59	Template:Dts2	Polk County	George Mifflin Dallas (1792–1864), eleventh Vice President	40,750	586 mi² (943 km²)
Davis County	051	Bloomfield	97	Template:Dts2	Van Buren County	Garrett Davis (1801–1872), congressman	8,541	503 mi² (810 km²)
Decatur County	053	Leon	94	Template:Dts2	Appanoose County	Stephen Decatur (1779–1820), naval officer in the War of 1812	8,689	532 mi² (856 km²)
Delaware County	055	Manchester	41	Template:Dts2	Dubuque County and Wisconsin Territory	Delaware, United States state, or Delaware County, New York	18,404	578 mi² (930 km²)
Des Moines County	057	Burlington	89	Template:Dts2	Michigan Territory and Wisconsin Territory	Des Moines River, river that runs through the county	42,351	416 mi² (669 km²)
Dickinson County	059	Spirit Lake	3	Template:Dts2	Kossuth County	Daniel Stevens Dickinson (1800–1866), United States Senator from New York	16,424	381 mi² (631 km²)
Dubuque County	061	Dubuque	42	Template:Dts2	Michigan Territory and Wisconsin Territory	Julien Dubuque (1762–1810), first permanent white settler in Iowa	89,143	608 mi² (978 km²)
Emmet County	063	Estherville	4	Template:Dts2	Dickinson County and Kossuth County	Robert Emmet (1778–1803), Irish revolutionary	11,027	396 mi² (637 km²)
Fayette County	065	West Union	20	Template:Dts2	Clayton County and Wisconsin Territory	Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), Frenchman who helped the American Colonies in the Revolutionary War	22,008	731 mi² (1,176 km²)
Floyd County	067	Charles City	18	Template:Dts2	Chickasaw County	Charles Floyd (1782–1804), member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition who died in Iowa	16,900	501 mi² (806 km²)
Franklin County	069	Hampton	28	Template:Dts2	Chickasaw County	Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), statesman	10,704	582 mi² (937 km²)
Fremont County	071	Sidney	90	Template:Dts2	Pottawattamie County	John Charles Fremont (1813–1890), officer in Mexican-American War	8,010	511 mi² (822 km²)
Greene County	073	Jefferson	46	Template:Dts2	Dallas County	Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), Revolutionary War hero	10,366	568 mi² (914 km²)
Grundy County	075	Grundy Center	38	Template:Dts2	Black Hawk County	Felix Grundy (1777–1840), United States Senator	12,369	503 mi² (810 km²)
Guthrie County	077	Guthrie Center	58	Template:Dts2	Jackson County	Edwin B. Guthrie, officer in Mexican-American War	11,353	591 mi² (951 km²)
Hamilton County	079	Webster City	36	Template:Dts2	Webster County	William W. Hamilton, president of the Iowa Senate (1856–1857)	16,438	577 mi² (929 km²)
Hancock County	081	Garner	16	Template:Dts2	Wright County	John Hancock (1737–1793), President of the First Continental Congress	12,100	571 mi² (919 km²)
Hardin County	083	Eldora	37	Template:Dts2	Black Hawk County	John J. Hardin (1810–1847), prominent soldier in the Black Hawk War	18,812	569 mi² (916 km²)
Harrison County	085	Logan	55	Template:Dts2	Pottawattamie County	William Henry Harrison (1773–1841), ninth President of the United States	15,666	697 mi² (1,122 km²)
Henry County	087	Mount Pleasant	88	Template:Dts2	Wisconsin Territory	Henry Dodge (1782–1867), governor of Wisconsin Territory, or James Dougherty Henry, General in the Black Hawk War	20,336	434 mi² (698 km²)
Howard County	089	Cresco	9	Template:Dts2	Chickasaw County	Tilghman Ashurst Howard (1797–1844), congressman	9,932	473 mi² (761 km²)
Humboldt County	091	Dakota City	26	Template:Dts2	Webster County	Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), German scientist	10,381	434 mi² (698 km²)
Ida County	093	Ida Grove	32	Template:Dts2	Cherokee County	Mount Ida in Greece or the woman's name Ida	7,837	432 mi² (695 km²)
Iowa County	095	Marengo	63	Template:Dts2	Washington County	Iowa River, river that flows through the county, or Ioway Native American tribe	15,671	586 mi² (943 km²)
Jackson County	097	Maquoketa	54	Template:Dts2	Wisconsin Territory	Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), seventh President of the United States	20,296	636 mi² (1,024 km²)
Jasper County	099	Newton	61	Template:Dts2	Mahaska County	William Jasper (1750–1779), sergeant in the Revolutionary War	37,213	730 mi² (1,175 km²)
Jefferson County	101	Fairfield	87	Template:Dts2	Native American lands	Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third President of the United States	16,181	435 mi² (700 km²)
Johnson County	103	Iowa City	64	Template:Dts2	Des Moines County, Iowa and Wisconsin Territory	Richard Mentor Johnson (1780–1850), Vice President of the United States	111,006	614 mi² (988 km²)
Jones County	105	Anamosa	53	Template:Dts2	Wisconsin Territory	George Wallace Jones (1804–1896), United States Senator from Iowa	20,221	575 mi² (925 km²)
Keokuk County	107	Sigourney	74	Template:Dts2	Washington County	Keokuk (1767–1848), chief of the Sac Native American tribe	11,400	579 mi² (932 km²)
Kossuth County	109	Algona	5	Template:Dts2	Webster County	Lajos Kossuth (1802–1894), Hungarian patriot	17,163	973 mi² (1,566 km²)
Lee County	111	Fort Madison and Keokuk	99	Template:Dts2	Des Moines County	William Elliott Lee, businessman, or Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), Confederate general	38,052	517 mi² (832 km²)
Linn County	113	Cedar Rapids	52	Template:Dts2	Wisconsin Territory	Lewis Fields Linn (1795–1843), doctor and United States Senator from Missouri	191,701	718 mi² (1,156 km²)
Louisa County	115	Wapello	76	Template:Dts2	Des Moines County	Louisa Massey, woman who avenged the death of her brother, or Louisa County, Virginia	12,183	402 mi² (647 km²)
Lucas County	117	Chariton	84	Template:Dts2	Monroe County	Robert Lucas (1781–1853), first Governor of Iowa Territory	9,422	431 mi² (694 km²)
Lyon County	119	Rock Rapids	1	Template:Dts2	Woodbury County, Iowa	Nathaniel Lyon (1818–1861), first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War, (formerly named Buncombe County)	11,763	588 mi² (946 km²)
Madison County	121	Winterset	70	Template:Dts2	Polk County	James Madison (1751–1836), fourth President of the United States	14,019	561 mi² (903 km²)
Mahaska County	123	Oskaloosa	73	Template:Dts2	Fox and Sac Indian lands	Mahaska (1784–1834), chief of the Ioway Native American tribe	22,335	571 mi² (919 km²)
Marion County	125	Knoxville	72	Template:Dts2	Washington County	Francis Marion (1732–1795), general in the Revolutionary War	32,052	554 mi² (892 km²)
Marshall County	127	Marshalltown	49	Template:Dts2	Jasper County	John Marshall (1755–1835), fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court	39,311	572 mi² (921 km²)
Mills County	129	Glenwood	79	Template:Dts2	Pottawattamie County	Frederick Mills, major killed during the Battle of Churubusco in the Mexican-American War	14,547	437 mi² (703 km²)
Mitchell County	131	Osage	8	Template:Dts2	Chickasaw County	John Mitchel (1815–1875), Irish patriot	10,874	469 mi² (755 km²)
Monona County	133	Onawa	43	Template:Dts2	Harrison County	Word of Native American origin or Monona, Iowa	10,020	693 mi² (1,115 km²)
Monroe County	135	Albia	85	Template:Dts2	Wapello County	James Monroe (1758–1831), fifth President of the United States	8,016	433 mi² (697 km²)
Montgomery County	137	Red Oak	80	Template:Dts2	Polk County	Richard Montgomery (1738–1775), general in the Revolutionary War	11,771	424 mi² (682 km²)
Muscatine County	139	Muscatine	77	Template:Dts2	Des Moines County	Muscatine Native American tribe or Muscatine Island in the Mississippi River	41,722	439 mi² (707 km²)
O'Brien County	141	Primghar	13	Template:Dts2	Cherokee County	William Smith O'Brien (1803–1864), Irish revolutionary	15,102	573 mi² (922 km²)
Osceola County	143	Sibley	2	Template:Dts2	Woodbury County	Osceola (1804–1838), Native American leader	7,003	399 mi² (642 km²)
Page County	145	Clarinda	91	Template:Dts2	Pottawattamie County	John Page, officer killed in Battle of Palo Alto in the Mexican-American War	16,976	535 mi² (861 km²)
Palo Alto County	147	Emmetsburg	15	Template:Dts2	Kossuth County	Battle of Palo Alto in the Mexican-American War	10,147	564 mi² (908 km²)
Plymouth County	149	Le Mars	22	Template:Dts2	Woodbury County	Landing place of the Pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower	24,849	864 mi² (1,390 km²)
Pocahontas County	151	Pocahontas	25	Template:Dts2	Greene County and Humboldt County	Pocahantas (1595–1618), famous Native American woman	8,662	578 mi² (930 km²)
Polk County	153	Des Moines	60	Template:Dts2	Native American lands	James K. Polk (1795–1849), eleventh President of the United States	374,601	570 mi² (917 km²)
Pottawattamie County	155	Council Bluffs	67	Template:Dts2	Native American lands	Pottawattamie Native American tribe	87,704	954 mi² (1,535 km²)
Poweshiek County	157	Montezuma	62	Template:Dts2	Mesquakie Indian lands	Poweshiek, chief of the Fox tribe	18,815	585 mi² (941 km²)
Ringgold County	159	Mount Ayr	93	Template:Dts2	Taylor County	Samuel Ringgold (1796–1846), major killed in the Mexican-American War	5,469	538 mi² (866 km²)
Sac County	161	Sac City	33	Template:Dts2	Greene County	Sac Native American tribe	11,529	576 mi² (927 km²)
Scott County	163	Davenport	78	Template:Dts2	Wisconsin Territory	Winfield Scott (1786–1866), U.S. Army General during the War of 1812	158,668	458 mi² (737 km²)
Shelby County	165	Harlan	56	Template:Dts2	Cass County	Isaac Shelby (1750–1826), general in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812	13,173	591 mi² (951 km²)
Sioux County	167	Orange City	12	Template:Dts2	Plymouth County	Sioux Native American tribe	31,589	768 mi² (1,236 km²)
Story County	169	Nevada	48	Template:Dts2	Boone County, Jasper County, and Polk County	Joseph Story (1779–1845), United States Supreme Court justice	79,981	573 mi² (922 km²)
Tama County	171	Toledo	50	Template:Dts2	Benton County and Boone County	Taimah, Fox chief, or Taomah, wife of Poweshiek, or Potama, Native American chief	18,103	721 mi² (1,160 km²)
Taylor County	173	Bedford	92	Template:Dts2	Page County	Zachary Taylor (1784–1850), twelfth President of the United States	6,958	534 mi² (859 km²)
Union County	175	Creston	82	Template:Dts2	Clarke County	"The Union", name for the northern states during the American Civil War	12,309	424 mi² (682 km²)
Van Buren County	177	Keosauqua	98	Template:Dts2	Des Moines County	Martin Van Buren (1782–1862), eighth President of the United States	7,809	485 mi² (781 km²)
Wapello County	179	Ottumwa	86	Template:Dts2	Native American lands	Wapello, chief of the Fox Native American tribe	36,051	432 mi² (695 km²)
Warren County	181	Indianola	71	Template:Dts2	Polk County	Joseph Warren (1741–1775), General in the Revolutionary War	40,671	572 mi² (921 km²)
Washington County	183	Washington	75	Template:Dts2	Wisconsin Territory	George Washington (1732–1799), first President of the United States	20,670	569 mi² (916 km²)
Wayne County	185	Corydon	95	Template:Dts2	Appanoose County	Anthony Wayne (1745–1796), General in the Revolutionary War	6,730	526 mi² (847 km²)
Webster County	187	Fort Dodge	35	Template:Dts2	Risley County and Yell County (defunct counties)	Daniel Webster (1782–1852), statesman	40,235	715 mi² (1,151 km²)
Winnebago County	189	Forest City	6	Template:Dts2	Kossuth County	Winnebago Native American tribe	11,723	400 mi² (644 km²)
Winneshiek County	191	Decorah	10	Template:Dts2	Native American lands	Winneshiek, chief of the Winnebago Native American tribe	21,310	690 mi² (1,110 km²)
Woodbury County	193	Sioux City	31	Template:Dts2	Polk County	Levi Woodbury (1789–1851), Governor of New Hampshire, (formerly named Wahkaw County)	103,877	873 mi² (1,405 km²)
Worth County	195	Northwood	7	Template:Dts2	Mitchell County	William Jenkins Worth (1794–1849), officer in the Black Hawk War and the Mexican-American War	7,909	400 mi² (644 km²)
Wright County	197	Clarion	27	Template:Dts2	Webster County and Kossuth County	Silas Wright (1795–1847), Governor of New York, and Joseph Albert Wright (1810–1867), Governor of Indiana	14,334	581 mi² (935 km²)

Extinct counties

The following counties no llonger exist:

• Bancroft (1851–1855), merged with Kossuth County
• Cook (1836–1837), merged with Muscatine County
• Crocker (1870–1871), merged with Kossuth County
• Risley (1851–1853), formed Webster County
• Yell (1851–1853), formed Webster County

See also

• List of cities in Iowa
• List of townships in Iowa

External links

• Iowa: Individual County Chronologies