Best Counties for Retirement in Iowa 2026

99 counties ranked by health care, safety, tax burden, and affordability.

Top 5 Retirement Counties in Iowa

1Winnebago County

All 99 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Iowa

Rank	County	Persona Score	Overall Score
1	Winnebago County, IA	75	68.8
2	Ida County, IA	74	71.2
3	Worth County, IA	73	70.4
4	Grundy County, IA	73	69.1
5	Winneshiek County, IA	73	67.8
6	Calhoun County, IA	72	65.9
7	Butler County, IA	71	62.1
8	Cherokee County, IA	71	66.8
9	Kossuth County, IA	71	66.6
10	Shelby County, IA	70	66.5
11	Chickasaw County, IA	70	66.7
12	Lyon County, IA	70	65.1
13	Mitchell County, IA	68	66.2
14	Adair County, IA	68	62.5
15	Pocahontas County, IA	68	65.2
16	Adams County, IA	68	61.1
17	Sioux County, IA	68	59.1
18	Jones County, IA	67	60.7
19	Clayton County, IA	67	59.9
20	Howard County, IA	67	68.1
21	Osceola County, IA	67	65.3
22	Palo Alto County, IA	67	62.4
23	Cedar County, IA	66	58
24	Audubon County, IA	66	59.7
25	Hancock County, IA	66	61.6
26	Decatur County, IA	66	59.4
27	Carroll County, IA	66	61.5
28	Taylor County, IA	65	64.2
29	Humboldt County, IA	65	63.4
30	Dickinson County, IA	65	59.1
31	Madison County, IA	65	58.6
32	Buchanan County, IA	65	62.4
33	Sac County, IA	64	63.9
34	Guthrie County, IA	64	60.2
35	Van Buren County, IA	64	60.5
36	Wright County, IA	63	59.7
37	Greene County, IA	63	58.4
38	Benton County, IA	63	56
39	Marion County, IA	63	59.2
40	Franklin County, IA	62	65.5
41	Clay County, IA	62	59.7
42	Wayne County, IA	62	62.9
43	Delaware County, IA	61	60.2
44	Boone County, IA	61	57.7
45	Louisa County, IA	61	61.3
46	Floyd County, IA	60	56.7
47	Ringgold County, IA	60	60.8
48	Fayette County, IA	60	57
49	Iowa County, IA	60	56.6
50	Allamakee County, IA	60	60.2
51	Bremer County, IA	60	58.6
52	O'Brien County, IA	60	61.5
53	Emmet County, IA	60	61.6
54	Keokuk County, IA	59	58.5
55	Hamilton County, IA	59	57.6
56	Harrison County, IA	59	58.5
57	Tama County, IA	59	56.6
58	Monroe County, IA	57	59
59	Jasper County, IA	57	54.1
60	Fremont County, IA	57	58.6
61	Monona County, IA	56	59.3
62	Woodbury County, IA	56	50.9
63	Crawford County, IA	56	55.3
64	Warren County, IA	55	51.7
65	Jackson County, IA	54	55.6
66	Lucas County, IA	53	55.8
67	Page County, IA	53	52.7
68	Davis County, IA	53	56
69	Henry County, IA	53	52.5
70	Story County, IA	51	46.9
71	Montgomery County, IA	51	53.5
72	Mahaska County, IA	51	51.4
73	Mills County, IA	51	46.7
74	Washington County, IA	50	51.6
75	Buena Vista County, IA	50	46.7
76	Poweshiek County, IA	49	46.8
77	Union County, IA	49	53.6
78	Dubuque County, IA	48	45.4
79	Jefferson County, IA	47	48.4
80	Appanoose County, IA	46	48.6
81	Muscatine County, IA	46	41.3
82	Hardin County, IA	45	48.1
83	Johnson County, IA	45	41
84	Plymouth County, IA	44	47.3
85	Cass County, IA	43	42.7
86	Dallas County, IA	43	42
87	Linn County, IA	42	40.6
88	Cerro Gordo County, IA	41	42.5
89	Black Hawk County, IA	41	40.7
90	Lee County, IA	41	42.8
91	Webster County, IA	40	41.6
92	Polk County, IA	39	36.6
93	Clarke County, IA	39	43.6
94	Marshall County, IA	38	42
95	Scott County, IA	38	37.2
96	Clinton County, IA	37	38.6
97	Des Moines County, IA	36	34.7
98	Pottawattamie County, IA	33	36.1
99	Wapello County, IA	29	33.1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in Iowa?

Based on our analysis of health care access, safety, property taxes, and cost of living, Winnebago County ranks as the top retirement county in Iowa with a retirement score of 75.

How many counties in Iowa are ranked for retirement?

We rank 99 counties in Iowa for retirement suitability, scoring each on health care access (35%), safety (30%), property tax (20%), and cost of living (15%).

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Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.