countyscore

Best Counties for Retirement in Iowa 2026

99 counties ranked with the Retiree lens of the County Fit Score.

Top 5 Retirement Counties in Iowa

1Worth County
71.4
baseline 69.2
2Ida County
71.2
baseline 69.7
3Winnebago County
71.2
baseline 69.2
4Grundy County
70.1
baseline 68.1
5Cherokee County
68.5
baseline 67.1

All 99 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Iowa

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Worth County, IA71.469.2+2.2
2Ida County, IA71.269.7+1.5
3Winnebago County, IA71.269.2+2
4Grundy County, IA70.168.1+2
5Cherokee County, IA68.567.1+1.4
6Kossuth County, IA68.266.9+1.3
7Shelby County, IA67.968-0.1
8Lyon County, IA67.864.5+3.3
9Howard County, IA67.668.2-0.6
10Winneshiek County, IA67.667.2+0.4
11Adams County, IA66.861.9+4.9
12Mitchell County, IA66.867.3-0.5
13Chickasaw County, IA66.468.7-2.3
14Osceola County, IA66.164.3+1.8
15Humboldt County, IA65.263.8+1.4
16Butler County, IA64.762.2+2.5
17Clayton County, IA64.560.5+4
18Van Buren County, IA64.461.5+2.9
19Louisa County, IA63.663.1+0.5
20Palo Alto County, IA63.462.7+0.7
21Franklin County, IA63.363.9-0.6
22Calhoun County, IA63.164.6-1.5
23Adair County, IA6361.4+1.6
24Wayne County, IA62.962.5+0.4
25Audubon County, IA62.857.6+5.2
26Buchanan County, IA62.861.1+1.7
27Hancock County, IA62.562.2+0.3
28Sioux County, IA62.559.5+3
29Greene County, IA62.458.7+3.7
30Pocahontas County, IA62.463-0.6
31Taylor County, IA62.162.10
32Jones County, IA61.759.7+2
33Decatur County, IA61.660.8+0.8
34Ringgold County, IA61.661.2+0.4
35Cedar County, IA61.457.7+3.7
36Keokuk County, IA61.459.5+1.9
37Marion County, IA61.459.9+1.5
38Fremont County, IA61.259.5+1.7
39Wright County, IA61.159.7+1.4
40Clay County, IA60.959.7+1.2
41Dickinson County, IA60.759.6+1.1
42Madison County, IA60.758.3+2.4
43Monroe County, IA60.759.1+1.6
44O'Brien County, IA60.659.3+1.3
45Guthrie County, IA6060.5-0.5
46Sac County, IA59.662.1-2.5
47Bremer County, IA59.157.7+1.4
48Floyd County, IA58.956.3+2.6
49Monona County, IA58.859.5-0.7
50Delaware County, IA58.759.6-0.9
51Benton County, IA58.656.3+2.3
52Harrison County, IA58.559.1-0.6
53Emmet County, IA5859.9-1.9
54Carroll County, IA57.761.3-3.6
55Hamilton County, IA57.757.1+0.6
56Allamakee County, IA57.657.7-0.1
57Fayette County, IA57.456.2+1.2
58Boone County, IA56.957.7-0.8
59Tama County, IA56.957-0.1
60Iowa County, IA56.557.2-0.7
61Lucas County, IA56.555.8+0.7
62Jasper County, IA56.354+2.3
63Jackson County, IA55.655.60
64Mahaska County, IA55.152.6+2.5
65Warren County, IA54.452.2+2.2
66Crawford County, IA54.255.2-1
67Henry County, IA54.152+2.1
68Page County, IA53.753+0.7
69Montgomery County, IA53.252.7+0.5
70Davis County, IA52.656.7-4.1
71Buena Vista County, IA51.346.2+5.1
72Jefferson County, IA51.149.8+1.3
73Washington County, IA50.651.5-0.9
74Union County, IA50.252.5-2.3
75Appanoose County, IA49.347.8+1.5
76Woodbury County, IA48.551.1-2.6
77Hardin County, IA4848.6-0.6
78Poweshiek County, IA47.846.9+0.9
79Mills County, IA47.745.7+2
80Story County, IA47.747.3+0.4
81Plymouth County, IA47.247.1+0.1
82Muscatine County, IA46.641.6+5
83Dubuque County, IA46.445.5+0.9
84Lee County, IA44.343.6+0.7
85Cerro Gordo County, IA42.942.6+0.3
86Dallas County, IA42.942+0.9
87Cass County, IA42.642.60
88Marshall County, IA41.342.1-0.8
89Webster County, IA41.341.6-0.3
90Black Hawk County, IA40.940.7+0.2
91Clarke County, IA40.442-1.6
92Clinton County, IA40.438.7+1.7
93Des Moines County, IA39.936+3.9
94Johnson County, IA39.241.1-1.9
95Linn County, IA39.140.4-1.3
96Scott County, IA36.637-0.4
97Polk County, IA36.236.8-0.6
98Pottawattamie County, IA34.836-1.2
99Wapello County, IA34.834.3+0.5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in Iowa?

Based on the Retiree lens, Worth County ranks as the top retirement county in Iowa with a County Fit Score of 71.4. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in Iowa are ranked for retirement?

We rank 99 counties in Iowa with the Retiree lens, using independent importance values for health, safety, taxes, cost, disaster risk, water, and weather.

Also Browse Iowa Counties For

FamiliesRemote WorkersBest Overall

Retirement Rankings by State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

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