County Employment and Wages in Iowa — Third Quarter 2025

Employment declined in 3 of the 4 largest counties in Iowa from September 2024 to September 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Linn County had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment, with a loss of 1.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Horizontal bar chart displaying over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Iowa in September 2025. An accessible version is available in the View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Iowa, September 2025
County	Percent change, September 2025
Linn	-1.6
Scott	-0.7
Polk	-0.2
Johnson	1.6

Among the four largest counties in Iowa, employment was highest in Polk (311,800) in September 2025. Together, the four largest counties accounted for 39.7 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.2 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the third quarter 2025

All four large Iowa counties reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) Scott had the largest gain (+4.2 percent). Wages increased 3.5 percent in Linn, 3.0 percent in Polk, and 2.7 percent in Johnson.

Horizontal bar chart displaying over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Iowa in the third quarter 2025. An accessible version is available in the View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Iowa, third quarter 2025
County	Percent change, third quarter 2025
Scott	4.2
Linn	3.5
Polk	3.0
Johnson	2.7

Weekly wages in all large counties in Iowa were below the national average of $1,459. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,400 in Polk to $1,177 in Scott.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 95 small counties in Iowa, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 94 of the 95 smaller counties were below the national average. Monroe reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,474). Decatur reported the lowest average weekly wage ($855) in the state.

Among all 99 Iowa counties, 24 reported average weekly wages of less than $975, 21 registered wages from $975 to $1,024, 25 had wages from $1,025 to $1,074, 11 reported wages from $1,075 to $1,124, and 18 had average weekly wages of $1,125 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Iowa, third quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,459 )

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The County Employment and Wages release for the fourth quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the four largest counties in Iowa, third quarter 2025
Area	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
Area	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	September 2025 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2024–25 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Third quarter 2025 ($)	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, third quarter 2024–25 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	12,353.8	155,767.7	0.1	--	1,459	--	4.7	--
Iowa	109.6	1,549.3	-0.9	--	1,194	39	3.6	38
Johnson	5.0	86.2	1.6	19	1,293	186	2.7	309
Linn	7.7	124.1	-1.6	340	1,310	177	3.5	238
Polk	20.2	311.8	-0.2	199	1,400	114	3.0	288
Scott	6.2	92.7	-0.7	276	1,177	280	4.2	157
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Iowa, third quarter 2025
Area	Establishments	Employment September 2025	Average weekly wage ($) (1)
United States (2)	12,353,804	155,767,691	1,459
Iowa	109,550	1,549,313	1,194
Adair	326	3,578	1,291
Adams	142	1,130	962
Allamakee	467	4,747	935
Appanoose	383	4,464	946
Audubon	228	1,714	1,043
Benton	695	5,969	1,000
Black Hawk	3,917	70,161	1,124
Boone	731	8,883	1,016
Bremer	747	9,403	1,036
Buchanan	631	6,723	987
Buena Vista	592	10,245	1,063
Butler	425	3,704	1,010
Calhoun	316	2,784	941
Carroll	915	10,866	994
Cass	518	5,678	1,006
Cedar	583	5,120	958
Cerro Gordo	1,666	23,136	1,106
Cherokee	440	4,841	956
Chickasaw	408	5,324	1,139
Clarke	240	4,683	1,009
Clay	707	8,481	1,063
Clayton	610	6,196	1,038
Clinton	1,467	18,700	1,046
Crawford	491	6,326	1,025
Dallas	3,619	55,983	1,429
Davis	241	1,975	1,004
Decatur	224	2,146	855
Delaware	590	6,825	1,045
Des Moines	1,394	20,038	1,020
Dickinson	933	9,824	888
Dubuque	3,644	57,319	1,141
Emmet	328	3,298	916
Fayette	668	6,922	984
Floyd	468	5,522	1,059
Franklin	359	3,856	1,048
Fremont	277	2,131	965
Greene	298	3,146	1,058
Grundy	380	4,144	1,202
Guthrie	376	3,185	1,065
Hamilton	481	5,760	1,118
Hancock	365	5,649	1,127
Hardin	618	6,611	1,079
Harrison	480	4,028	1,023
Henry	628	8,191	1,021
Howard	345	4,311	1,005
Humboldt	350	3,722	1,004
Ida	295	3,658	1,132
Iowa	716	8,198	979
Jackson	655	5,683	878
Jasper	959	10,821	1,006
Jefferson	742	6,978	1,106
Johnson	5,036	86,182	1,293
Jones	646	6,256	961
Keokuk	306	2,228	920
Kossuth	627	6,412	1,015
Lee	1,024	13,434	1,112
Linn	7,716	124,051	1,310
Louisa	281	3,763	961
Lucas	237	3,026	1,059
Lyon	544	4,924	929
Madison	551	4,159	983
Mahaska	609	7,995	1,140
Marion	1,056	19,449	1,154
Marshall	980	15,904	1,097
Mills	471	3,147	1,033
Mitchell	368	3,831	1,046
Monona	294	2,499	904
Monroe	245	3,551	1,474
Montgomery	358	3,880	1,035
Muscatine	1,191	20,785	1,168
O'Brien	603	6,513	958
Osceola	266	2,595	1,030
Page	459	6,210	1,026
Palo Alto	326	3,659	933
Plymouth	860	11,428	1,157
Pocahontas	247	2,508	1,030
Polk	20,158	311,774	1,400
Pottawattamie	2,672	41,627	1,110
Poweshiek	686	9,644	1,114
Ringgold	179	1,405	905
Sac	379	2,966	955
Scott	6,170	92,653	1,177
Shelby	428	5,493	1,002
Sioux	1,544	22,889	1,092
Story	2,977	47,142	1,240
Tama	428	5,349	946
Taylor	187	2,034	1,035
Union	444	5,777	1,031
Van Buren	216	1,910	967
Wapello	862	15,110	1,040
Warren	1,404	13,798	1,007
Washington	846	8,694	987
Wayne	175	1,992	1,065
Webster	1,147	17,407	1,117
Winnebago	375	3,643	955
Winneshiek	757	10,611	1,056
Woodbury	3,228	50,819	1,070
Worth	225	2,260	937
Wright	455	6,231	1,141
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, third quarter 2025
State	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
State	Establishments, third quarter (thousands)	September 2025 (thousands)	Percent change, September 2024–25	Third quarter 2025 ($)	National ranking by level	Percent change, third quarter 2024–25	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	12,353.8	155,767.7	0.1	1,459	--	4.7	--
Alabama	165.7	2,119.0	0.6	1,212	36	3.6	38
Alaska	25.3	342.4	-0.1	1,455	13	5.3	7
Arizona	228.4	3,215.4	-0.2	1,360	19	4.0	31
Arkansas	111.2	1,310.5	0.5	1,135	49	3.8	33
California	1,986.7	18,281.7	0.3	1,815	4	7.2	2
Colorado	252.9	2,886.4	-0.6	1,570	7	5.7	3
Connecticut	149.6	1,693.8	0.1	1,604	6	3.8	33
Delaware	46.7	480.8	0.0	1,394	17	4.8	13
District of Columbia	51.5	737.4	-3.1	2,393	1	5.7	3
Florida	892.1	9,818.1	-0.2	1,342	21	5.1	8
Georgia	397.2	4,874.5	0.4	1,349	20	3.5	43
Hawaii	62.1	640.1	0.1	1,342	21	3.1	48
Idaho	103.7	879.8	1.3	1,180	44	4.9	11
Illinois	386.5	6,086.3	-0.1	1,457	12	4.3	23
Indiana	197.1	3,198.4	0.1	1,214	35	4.3	23
Iowa	109.6	1,549.3	-0.9	1,194	39	3.6	38
Kansas	102.2	1,431.7	0.1	1,179	45	3.8	33
Kentucky	160.7	1,995.4	-0.4	1,176	46	4.3	23
Louisiana	158.7	1,913.1	-0.1	1,187	42	3.3	46
Maine	67.4	659.2	-0.2	1,231	33	5.0	10
Maryland	199.5	2,739.5	-1.3	1,526	9	3.8	33
Massachusetts	293.2	3,625.0	-0.9	1,818	3	4.8	13
Michigan	316.0	4,423.8	-0.4	1,323	25	4.5	18
Minnesota	214.3	2,958.6	0.2	1,438	15	3.6	38
Mississippi	91.3	1,172.6	0.0	1,005	51	4.7	15
Missouri	256.0	2,903.7	-0.4	1,249	31	4.4	21
Montana	64.6	518.3	-0.4	1,182	43	5.1	8
Nebraska	78.6	1,021.8	-0.1	1,190	40	3.1	48
Nevada	109.5	1,581.0	1.4	1,314	27	4.3	23
New Hampshire	67.3	687.8	-0.6	1,481	11	5.5	6
New Jersey	334.9	4,301.0	0.4	1,558	8	3.6	38
New Mexico	69.0	876.4	0.3	1,190	40	3.2	47
New York	720.8	9,808.4	0.4	1,757	5	4.7	15
North Carolina	386.3	4,939.4	0.5	1,328	23	4.2	27
North Dakota	36.7	433.8	-0.5	1,291	29	2.8	50
Ohio	346.6	5,537.8	0.1	1,279	30	3.4	44
Oklahoma	128.8	1,697.9	-0.3	1,143	48	4.5	18
Oregon	180.5	1,994.7	-1.3	1,409	16	4.2	27
Pennsylvania	397.2	6,066.3	0.2	1,383	18	4.1	30
Rhode Island	48.8	503.3	0.2	1,322	26	4.7	15
South Carolina	190.8	2,312.3	0.7	1,198	38	4.9	11
South Dakota	40.9	462.9	0.1	1,146	47	4.0	31
Tennessee	224.2	3,255.5	-1.2	1,327	24	5.7	3
Texas	854.9	14,062.3	0.7	1,444	14	3.6	38
Utah	142.4	1,745.9	1.2	1,297	28	3.8	33
Vermont	34.1	307.2	-0.7	1,243	32	4.4	21
Virginia	324.0	4,142.4	0.7	1,504	10	4.2	27
Washington	242.3	3,639.4	-0.1	1,923	2	7.7	1
West Virginia	62.1	701.1	-0.1	1,121	50	3.4	44
Wisconsin	211.6	2,949.1	-0.4	1,228	34	4.5	18
Wyoming	31.7	285.6	-1.1	1,201	37	2.0	51
Puerto Rico	52.8	945.5	-0.6	687	(3)	2.7	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.0	33.2	-5.4	1,025	(3)	4.7	(3)
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Midwest Information Office

County Employment and Wages in Iowa — Third Quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,459 )