County Freedom Index

State freedom map

Iowa Freedom Map

Compare all 99 Iowa counties for tiny homes, RV living, off-grid living, homesteading, land affordability, solar, broadband, climate, public land, and county-rule research.

County profiles99
Regions10
Verified profiles0
Top score77

Interactive map

Explore Iowa Counties

Map filters99 countiesUpdates the map below
Adair County: Freedom Score 54Adams County: Freedom Score 69Allamakee County: Freedom Score 67Appanoose County: Freedom Score 63Audubon County: Freedom Score 57Benton County: Freedom Score 50Black Hawk County: Freedom Score 50Boone County: Freedom Score 50Bremer County: Freedom Score 51Buchanan County: Freedom Score 50Buena Vista County: Freedom Score 51Butler County: Freedom Score 54Calhoun County: Freedom Score 55Carroll County: Freedom Score 50Cass County: Freedom Score 54Cedar County: Freedom Score 51Cerro Gordo County: Freedom Score 50Cherokee County: Freedom Score 56Chickasaw County: Freedom Score 55Clarke County: Freedom Score 61Clay County: Freedom Score 57Clayton County: Freedom Score 64Clinton County: Freedom Score 57Crawford County: Freedom Score 54Dallas County: Freedom Score 34Davis County: Freedom Score 75Decatur County: Freedom Score 76Delaware County: Freedom Score 50Des Moines County: Freedom Score 50Dickinson County: Freedom Score 54Dubuque County: Freedom Score 50Emmet County: Freedom Score 54Fayette County: Freedom Score 54Floyd County: Freedom Score 49Franklin County: Freedom Score 54Fremont County: Freedom Score 56Greene County: Freedom Score 54Grundy County: Freedom Score 54Guthrie County: Freedom Score 54Hamilton County: Freedom Score 54Hancock County: Freedom Score 54Hardin County: Freedom Score 54Harrison County: Freedom Score 57Henry County: Freedom Score 50Howard County: Freedom Score 61Humboldt County: Freedom Score 54Ida County: Freedom Score 56Iowa County: Freedom Score 54Jackson County: Freedom Score 52Jasper County: Freedom Score 51Jefferson County: Freedom Score 58Johnson County: Freedom Score 33Jones County: Freedom Score 50Keokuk County: Freedom Score 54Kossuth County: Freedom Score 55Lee County: Freedom Score 50Linn County: Freedom Score 33Louisa County: Freedom Score 55Lucas County: Freedom Score 55Lyon County: Freedom Score 58Madison County: Freedom Score 50Mahaska County: Freedom Score 50Marion County: Freedom Score 57Marshall County: Freedom Score 50Mills County: Freedom Score 51Mitchell County: Freedom Score 55Monona County: Freedom Score 55Monroe County: Freedom Score 64Montgomery County: Freedom Score 54Muscatine County: Freedom Score 51O'Brien County: Freedom Score 56Osceola County: Freedom Score 56Page County: Freedom Score 55Palo Alto County: Freedom Score 55Plymouth County: Freedom Score 56Pocahontas County: Freedom Score 55Polk County: Freedom Score 30Pottawattamie County: Freedom Score 50Poweshiek County: Freedom Score 51Ringgold County: Freedom Score 77Sac County: Freedom Score 57Scott County: Freedom Score 33Shelby County: Freedom Score 54Sioux County: Freedom Score 52Story County: Freedom Score 46Tama County: Freedom Score 54Taylor County: Freedom Score 68Union County: Freedom Score 54Van Buren County: Freedom Score 75Wapello County: Freedom Score 50Warren County: Freedom Score 53Washington County: Freedom Score 50Wayne County: Freedom Score 69Webster County: Freedom Score 50Winnebago County: Freedom Score 54Winneshiek County: Freedom Score 55Woodbury County: Freedom Score 50Worth County: Freedom Score 56Wright County: Freedom Score 54
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Expansion state

Iowa Is Part Of The Shared Freedom Map Platform

A sourced discovery dataset for Iowa counties, rural acreage, agricultural land, homesteading, off-grid screening, county and city zoning, two-mile review, septic, private wells, floodplain, waterways, and parcel-level due diligence, with local-office confirmation still pending. These pages use the same county template, scoring model, and source-first workflow as Colorado.

View methodology

Rank Iowa

Iowa County Rankings

Highest Freedom ScoresBest for Tiny HomesBest for RV LivingBest for Off-Grid LivingCheapest LandBest Solar PotentialBest Public Land Access

Best fit

Iowa Counties By Lifestyle Goal

Start with a use case, compare the top county-level candidates, then move into parcel-level zoning, water, septic, access, and covenant research.

Tiny

Best For Tiny Home Research

4/5

County-level candidates where tiny-home research starts with stronger alternative-housing scores, rural land context, and source coverage.

Top starts: Ringgold, Decatur, Davis

RV

Best For RV Living Research

4/5

Counties worth comparing for RV occupancy, temporary use, sanitation, access, construction, and covenant questions.

Top starts: Ringgold, Decatur, Davis

Off grid

Best For Off-Grid Living

5/5

Stronger off-grid discovery candidates based on rural density, land affordability, solar, public land, water, septic, and county-rule research.

Top starts: Ringgold, Decatur, Davis

Land

Cheapest Rural Land

84/100

Lower price-per-acre counties that still need practical screening for water, septic, roads, covenants, access, and total development cost.

Top starts: Monroe, Decatur, Appanoose

Public

Best Public Land Access

0.1M

Counties with major public-land acreage and recreation signals, balanced against private parcel access and buildability constraints.

Top starts: Polk, Allamakee, Appanoose

Overall

Highest Freedom Scores

77

The broadest starting point for comparing counties across lifestyle scores, land affordability, taxes, solar, broadband, and public land.

Top starts: Ringgold, Decatur, Davis

Research guides

Iowa Lifestyle Research Paths

Use these guides to translate county rankings into practical due-diligence checklists for your intended housing and land-use plan.

Best for Tiny HomesBest for RV LivingBest for Off-Grid LivingCheapest LandBest Public Land Access

Browse Iowa

County Profiles

#1

Ringgold County

South Iowa Border

77
Tiny
4/5
RV
4/5
Off grid
5/5
Land
80
Partially sourced#2

Decatur County

South Iowa Border

76
Tiny
4/5
RV
4/5
Off grid
5/5
Land
83
Partially sourced#3

Davis County

South Iowa Border

75
Tiny
4/5
RV
4/5
Off grid
5/5
Land
80
Partially sourced#4

Van Buren County

South Iowa Border

75
Tiny
4/5
RV
4/5
Off grid
5/5
Land
58
Partially sourced#5

Adams County

Southern Iowa

69
Tiny
4/5
RV
4/5
Off grid
5/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#6

Wayne County

South Iowa Border

69
Tiny
4/5
RV
4/5
Off grid
5/5
Land
35
Partially sourced#7

Taylor County

South Iowa Border

68
Tiny
4/5
RV
4/5
Off grid
5/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#8

Allamakee County

Northeast Iowa and Driftless

67
Tiny
4/5
RV
4/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
32
Partially sourced#9

Clayton County

Northeast Iowa and Driftless

64
Tiny
4/5
RV
4/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#10

Monroe County

Southern Iowa

64
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
84
Partially sourced#11

Appanoose County

South Iowa Border

63
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
82
Partially sourced#12

Clarke County

Southern Iowa

61
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
65
Partially sourced#13

Howard County

North Central Iowa

61
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
68
Partially sourced#14

Jefferson County

Southern Iowa

58
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
72
Partially sourced#15

Lyon County

Northwest Iowa

58
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#16

Audubon County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

57
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#17

Clay County

Northwest Iowa

57
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#18

Clinton County

Eastern Iowa and Mississippi River

57
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
67
Partially sourced#19

Harrison County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

57
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
41
Partially sourced#20

Marion County

South Central Iowa

57
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
64
Partially sourced#21

Sac County

West Central Iowa

57
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
25
Partially sourced#22

Cherokee County

Northwest Iowa

56
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#23

Fremont County

South Iowa Border

56
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#24

Ida County

West Central Iowa

56
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#25

O'Brien County

Northwest Iowa

56
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#26

Osceola County

Northwest Iowa

56
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#27

Plymouth County

Northwest Iowa

56
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#28

Worth County

North Central Iowa

56
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#29

Calhoun County

West Central Iowa

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#30

Chickasaw County

North Central Iowa

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#31

Kossuth County

North Central Iowa

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#32

Louisa County

Eastern Iowa and Mississippi River

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#33

Lucas County

Southern Iowa

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#34

Mitchell County

North Central Iowa

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#35

Monona County

West Central Iowa

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#36

Page County

South Iowa Border

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#37

Palo Alto County

Northwest Iowa

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#38

Pocahontas County

Northwest Iowa

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#39

Winneshiek County

Northeast Iowa and Driftless

55
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#40

Adair County

South Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#41

Butler County

North Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#42

Cass County

South Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#43

Crawford County

West Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#44

Dickinson County

Northwest Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#45

Emmet County

Northwest Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#46

Fayette County

Northeast Iowa and Driftless

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#47

Franklin County

North Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#48

Greene County

West Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#49

Grundy County

Central Iowa and Cedar Rapids Corridor

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#50

Guthrie County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#51

Hamilton County

Central Iowa and Cedar Rapids Corridor

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#52

Hancock County

North Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#53

Hardin County

Central Iowa and Cedar Rapids Corridor

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#54

Humboldt County

Northwest Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#55

Iowa County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#56

Keokuk County

South Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#57

Montgomery County

Southern Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#58

Shelby County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#59

Tama County

Central Iowa and Cedar Rapids Corridor

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#60

Union County

Southern Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
23
Partially sourced#61

Winnebago County

North Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#62

Wright County

North Central Iowa

54
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
4/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#63

Warren County

South Central Iowa

53
Tiny
3/5
RV
2/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
64
Partially sourced#64

Jackson County

Eastern Iowa and Mississippi River

52
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#65

Sioux County

Northwest Iowa

52
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#66

Bremer County

Northeast Iowa and Driftless

51
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#67

Buena Vista County

Northwest Iowa

51
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#68

Cedar County

Eastern Iowa and Mississippi River

51
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#69

Jasper County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

51
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#70

Mills County

Southern Iowa

51
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#71

Muscatine County

Eastern Iowa and Mississippi River

51
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#72

Poweshiek County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

51
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#73

Benton County

Central Iowa and Cedar Rapids Corridor

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#74

Black Hawk County

Northeast Iowa and Driftless

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#75

Boone County

West Central Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#76

Buchanan County

Northeast Iowa and Driftless

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#77

Carroll County

West Central Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#78

Cerro Gordo County

North Central Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#79

Delaware County

Northeast Iowa and Driftless

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#80

Des Moines County

Southern Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#81

Dubuque County

Northeast Iowa and Driftless

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#82

Henry County

Southern Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#83

Jones County

Central Iowa and Cedar Rapids Corridor

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#84

Lee County

South Iowa Border

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#85

Madison County

South Central Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#86

Mahaska County

South Central Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#87

Marshall County

Central Iowa and Cedar Rapids Corridor

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#88

Pottawattamie County

South Central Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#89

Wapello County

Southern Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#90

Washington County

South Central Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#91

Webster County

West Central Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#92

Woodbury County

West Central Iowa

50
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#93

Floyd County

North Central Iowa

49
Tiny
3/5
RV
3/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#94

Story County

Central Iowa and Cedar Rapids Corridor

46
Tiny
3/5
RV
2/5
Off grid
3/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#95

Dallas County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

34
Tiny
2/5
RV
1/5
Off grid
2/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#96

Johnson County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

33
Tiny
2/5
RV
1/5
Off grid
2/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#97

Linn County

Central Iowa and Cedar Rapids Corridor

33
Tiny
2/5
RV
1/5
Off grid
2/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#98

Scott County

Eastern Iowa and Mississippi River

33
Tiny
2/5
RV
1/5
Off grid
2/5
Land
20
Partially sourced#99

Polk County

Des Moines and Iowa City Corridor

30
Tiny
2/5
RV
1/5
Off grid
1/5
Land
20
Partially sourced

Expansion queue

Future State Datasets

The remaining planned datasets are being evaluated.

View guides