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

1Ida County
72.6
baseline 71.2
2Worth County
72.6
baseline 70.4
3Grundy County
71.3
baseline 69.1
4Winnebago County
71.2
baseline 68.8
5Cherokee County
68.6
baseline 66.8

All 99 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Iowa

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Ida County, IA72.671.2+1.4
2Worth County, IA72.670.4+2.2
3Grundy County, IA71.369.1+2.2
4Winnebago County, IA71.268.8+2.4
5Cherokee County, IA68.666.8+1.8
6Lyon County, IA68.265.1+3.1
7Winneshiek County, IA68.267.9+0.3
8Kossuth County, IA67.866.6+1.2
9Howard County, IA67.368.1-0.8
10Osceola County, IA67.265.3+1.9
11Shelby County, IA67.266.5+0.7
12Adams County, IA66.461.1+5.3
13Mitchell County, IA65.966.2-0.3
14Humboldt County, IA65.463.4+2
15Audubon County, IA6559.7+5.3
16Butler County, IA64.962.1+2.8
17Chickasaw County, IA64.766.7-2
18Clayton County, IA64.359.9+4.4
19Adair County, IA6462.5+1.5
20Franklin County, IA63.965.5-1.6
21Taylor County, IA63.964.2-0.3
22Buchanan County, IA63.862.4+1.4
23Calhoun County, IA63.865.9-2.1
24Pocahontas County, IA63.865.2-1.4
25Van Buren County, IA63.660.6+3
26Wayne County, IA63.562.9+0.6
27Palo Alto County, IA63.462.4+1
28Greene County, IA62.458.4+4
29Jones County, IA62.460.7+1.7
30O'Brien County, IA62.461.5+0.9
31Sioux County, IA62.159.1+3
32Hancock County, IA6261.6+0.4
33Cedar County, IA61.858+3.8
34Ringgold County, IA61.860.8+1
35Louisa County, IA61.761.3+0.4
36Sac County, IA61.663.9-2.3
37Wright County, IA61.259.7+1.5
38Madison County, IA60.958.6+2.3
39Clay County, IA60.859.7+1.1
40Marion County, IA60.759.2+1.5
41Decatur County, IA60.459.4+1
42Keokuk County, IA60.458.5+1.9
43Dickinson County, IA60.159.1+1
44Monroe County, IA60.159.1+1
45Allamakee County, IA6060.2-0.2
46Fremont County, IA6058.7+1.3
47Bremer County, IA59.958.6+1.3
48Floyd County, IA59.556.7+2.8
49Guthrie County, IA59.360.2-0.9
50Delaware County, IA59.160.2-1.1
51Emmet County, IA59.161.6-2.5
52Monona County, IA58.759.3-0.6
53Benton County, IA58.556+2.5
54Carroll County, IA58.461.5-3.1
55Harrison County, IA58.258.5-0.3
56Fayette County, IA58.157+1.1
57Hamilton County, IA57.957.6+0.3
58Boone County, IA5757.8-0.8
59Tama County, IA56.856.6+0.2
60Jasper County, IA56.454.1+2.3
61Iowa County, IA55.956.6-0.7
62Jackson County, IA55.755.6+0.1
63Lucas County, IA55.555.8-0.3
64Henry County, IA54.652.5+2.1
65Crawford County, IA54.355.3-1
66Mahaska County, IA54.151.4+2.7
67Warren County, IA5451.7+2.3
68Montgomery County, IA53.553.50
69Page County, IA53.452.7+0.7
70Buena Vista County, IA52.146.7+5.4
71Davis County, IA51.756-4.3
72Washington County, IA51.151.6-0.5
73Union County, IA5153.6-2.6
74Appanoose County, IA50.548.6+1.9
75Jefferson County, IA50.448.4+2
76Mills County, IA48.746.7+2
77Woodbury County, IA48.550.9-2.4
78Poweshiek County, IA47.746.8+0.9
79Plymouth County, IA47.547.4+0.1
80Hardin County, IA47.448.1-0.7
81Story County, IA47.346.9+0.4
82Dubuque County, IA46.345.4+0.9
83Muscatine County, IA46.241.3+4.9
84Lee County, IA43.642.8+0.8
85Cerro Gordo County, IA4342.5+0.5
86Dallas County, IA42.942+0.9
87Cass County, IA42.642.7-0.1
88Clarke County, IA42.443.7-1.3
89Webster County, IA41.241.6-0.4
90Black Hawk County, IA4140.7+0.3
91Marshall County, IA4142-1
92Clinton County, IA40.338.7+1.6
93Linn County, IA39.340.7-1.4
94Des Moines County, IA3934.7+4.3
95Johnson County, IA3941.1-2.1
96Scott County, IA36.837.2-0.4
97Polk County, IA3636.6-0.6
98Pottawattamie County, IA34.836.1-1.3
99Wapello County, IA34.233.1+1.1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in Iowa?

Based on the Retiree lens, Ida County ranks as the top retirement county in Iowa with a County Fit Score of 72.6. 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

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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.