Question 1

How many counties does Iowa have?

Accepted Answer

Iowa has 99 counties, each with a designated county seat. The first two counties, Des Moines and Dubuque, were established in 1834. The rest were created between 1836 and 1853, and the 99-county structure has remained stable since the mid-19th century.

Question 2

What is the largest county in Iowa by area?

Accepted Answer

Kossuth County is the largest county in Iowa by area at 973 square miles (2,520 km²). It is located in the north-central part of the state and was named after Lajos Kossuth, a Hungarian revolutionary leader.

Question 3

What is the smallest county in Iowa by area?

Accepted Answer

Iowa's counties vary significantly in size, with compact urban counties like Polk County among the smallest by land area. Polk County, despite its small footprint, is the most populous county in the state and contains the capital city of Des Moines.

Question 4

What is the most populated county in Iowa?

Accepted Answer

Polk County is the most populated county in Iowa. It contains Des Moines, the state capital and largest city. Other heavily populated counties include Linn County (Cedar Rapids), Scott County (Davenport), and Black Hawk County (Waterloo).

Question 5

What is the least populated county in Iowa?

Accepted Answer

Monroe County is the least populated county in Iowa with 7,373 residents according to the 2020 Census. It is located in the southern part of the state.

Question 6

Where are notable cities and landmarks located in Iowa?

Accepted Answer

Des Moines, the state capital and largest city, is in Polk County. Cedar Rapids, the second-largest city, is in Linn County. Davenport, part of the Quad Cities on the Mississippi River, is in Scott County. Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa and the former state capital, is in Johnson County. Sioux City, a major western hub, is in Woodbury County.

Question 7

When were Iowa's county boundaries established?

Accepted Answer

Iowa's first two counties, Des Moines and Dubuque, were created in 1834 from Wisconsin Territory lands. A large number of counties were established on December 21, 1837, and January 15, 1851. By 1853, all 99 counties were in place, and the boundaries have remained essentially unchanged since then.

Question 8

How are Iowa's counties named?

Accepted Answer

Iowa's counties draw their names from a variety of sources. Many honor U.S. presidents (Monroe, Taylor, Van Buren), Revolutionary War figures (Montgomery, Shelby), and U.S. senators (Jones, Webster). Others are named for Native American leaders (Keokuk, Wapello) or international figures like Hungarian revolutionary Lajos Kossuth.

Question 9

What states and rivers border Iowa?

Accepted Answer

Iowa is bordered by Minnesota to the north, South Dakota and Nebraska to the west, Missouri to the south, and Wisconsin and Illinois to the east. The Mississippi River forms the entire eastern border, while the Missouri River and Big Sioux River define much of the western border.

Question 10

How can I create a custom map of Iowa?

Accepted Answer

You can use Ultimaps to create custom maps of Iowa. Color-code counties manually or upload your data, place pins, customize the look and feel, and export to PNG, PDF, or SVG. No sign-up required.

#	County	County seat	Year founded
1	Adair	Greenfield	NaN
2	Adams	Corning	NaN
3	Allamakee	Waukon	NaN
4	Appanoose	Centerville	NaN
5	Audubon	Audubon	NaN
6	Benton	Vinton	NaN
7	Black Hawk	Waterloo	NaN
8	Boone	Boone	NaN
9	Bremer	Waverly	NaN
10	Buchanan	Independence	NaN
11	Buena Vista	Storm Lake	NaN
12	Butler	Allison	NaN
13	Calhoun	Rockwell City	NaN
14	Carroll	Carroll	NaN
15	Cass	Atlantic	NaN
16	Cedar	Tipton	NaN
17	Cerro Gordo	Mason City	NaN
18	Cherokee	Cherokee	NaN
19	Chickasaw	New Hampton	NaN
20	Clarke	Osceola	NaN
21	Clay	Spencer	NaN
22	Clayton	Elkader	NaN
23	Clinton	Clinton	NaN
24	Crawford	Denison	NaN
25	Dallas	Adel	NaN
26	Davis	Bloomfield	NaN
27	Decatur	Leon	NaN
28	Delaware	Manchester	NaN
29	Des Moines	Burlington	NaN
30	Dickinson	Spirit Lake	NaN
31	Dubuque	Dubuque	NaN
32	Emmet	Estherville	NaN
33	Fayette	West Union	NaN
34	Floyd	Charles City	NaN
35	Franklin	Hampton	NaN
36	Fremont	Sidney	NaN
37	Greene	Jefferson	NaN
38	Grundy	Grundy Center	NaN
39	Guthrie	Guthrie Center	NaN
40	Hamilton	Webster City	NaN
41	Hancock	Garner	NaN
42	Hardin	Eldora	NaN
43	Harrison	Logan	NaN
44	Henry	Mount Pleasant	NaN
45	Howard	Cresco	NaN
46	Humboldt	Dakota City	NaN
47	Ida	Ida Grove	NaN
48	Iowa	Marengo	NaN
49	Jackson	Maquoketa	NaN
50	Jasper	Newton	NaN
51	Jefferson	Fairfield	NaN
52	Johnson	Iowa City	NaN
53	Jones	Anamosa	NaN
54	Keokuk	Sigourney	NaN
55	Kossuth	Algona	NaN
56	Lee	Fort Madison and Keokuk	NaN
57	Linn	Cedar Rapids	NaN
58	Louisa	Wapello	NaN
59	Lucas	Chariton	NaN
60	Lyon	Rock Rapids	NaN
61	Madison	Winterset	NaN
62	Mahaska	Oskaloosa	NaN
63	Marion	Knoxville	NaN
64	Marshall	Marshalltown	NaN
65	Mills	Glenwood	NaN
66	Mitchell	Osage	NaN
67	Monona	Onawa	NaN
68	Monroe	Albia	NaN
69	Montgomery	Red Oak	NaN
70	Muscatine	Muscatine	NaN
71	O'Brien	Primghar	NaN
72	Osceola	Sibley	NaN
73	Page	Clarinda	NaN
74	Palo Alto	Emmetsburg	NaN
75	Plymouth	Le Mars	NaN
76	Pocahontas	Pocahontas	NaN
77	Polk	Des Moines	NaN
78	Pottawattamie	Council Bluffs	NaN
79	Poweshiek	Montezuma	NaN
80	Ringgold	Mount Ayr	NaN
81	Sac	Sac City	NaN
82	Scott	Davenport	NaN
83	Shelby	Harlan	NaN
84	Sioux	Orange City	NaN
85	Story	Nevada	NaN
86	Tama	Toledo	NaN
87	Taylor	Bedford	NaN
88	Union	Creston	NaN
89	Van Buren	Keosauqua	NaN
90	Wapello	Ottumwa	NaN
91	Warren	Indianola	NaN
92	Washington	Washington	NaN
93	Wayne	Corydon	NaN
94	Webster	Fort Dodge	NaN
95	Winnebago	Forest City	NaN
96	Winneshiek	Decorah	NaN
97	Woodbury	Sioux City	NaN
98	Worth	Northwood	NaN
99	Wright	Clarion	NaN

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