Iowa map with cities, counties, and roads network

Reading the detailed map from the Missouri River to the Mississippi

How to use this detailed map

Map of Iowa with cities, counties, and roads network. This detailed map focuses on Iowa’s full grid of 99 counties, each shaded and labeled with its county seat and major population centers. Bordering states are clearly shown: Minnesota to the north, South Dakota and Nebraska to the west, Missouri to the south, and Illinois and Wisconsin to the east across the Mississippi River. You’ll also see a few clean road links only for orientation, so the county layout stays front and center.

Road-light orientation: the I-29 spine clips the far west near Sioux City and Council Bluffs; I-35 runs Minnesota line–Ames–Des Moines–Osceola–Missouri line; I-80 spans Council Bluffs–Des Moines–Iowa City–Davenport; I-380 connects Cedar Rapids–Iowa City; US-61/151 trace the Mississippi corridor linking Dubuque–Clinton–Davenport–Burlington. Use these as gentle reference threads while you follow the counties.

Northwest to Northeast Iowa and the central river valleys

Northwest corner - Big Sioux Valley and the Lakes area

Begin at the tri-state corner where South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa meet along the Big Sioux and Missouri rivers.

• Sioux County – seat: Orange City. The map shows Sioux Center, Orange City, and Rock Valley aligned across a rich agricultural plain. A bit south, Hawarden sits on the river near South Dakota.

• Lyon County – seat: Rock Rapids. Iowa’s far northwest county, Rock Rapids, is central, with Inwood and Larchwood near the South Dakota border.

• Osceola County – seat: Sibley. Compact and rural, Sibley anchors the county with Ashton and Ocheyedan indicated.

• O’Brien County – seat: Primghar. The seat Primghar lies near the center; Sheldon, a regional hub, straddles the O’Brien and Sioux line on the map.

• Cherokee County – seat: Cherokee. Cherokee is bold, with Aurelia and Marcus labeled along a soft bend of the Little Sioux River.

• Plymouth County – seat: Le Mars. Known for its ice cream heritage, Le Mars is just north of Sioux City; Hinton and Akron line the Missouri approach.

• Woodbury County – seat: Sioux City. A major label at the Missouri and Big Sioux confluence; Sioux City is adjacent to South Sioux City, NE, and North Sioux City, SD. Moville and Sloan appear downriver.

The lake country blossoms to the northeast:

• Dickinson County – seat: Spirit Lake. The Iowa Great Lakes -Okoboji, Arnolds Park, Spirit Lake—are blue jewels on the map.

• Emmet County – seat: Estherville. Estherville lines the Des Moines River; Armstrong sits on the county’s west edge.

North-central prairies – rows of square counties under Minnesota

Continuing east along the Minnesota line, counties create a tidy checkerboard that’s excellent for memorization.

• Siouxland’s east neighbors: Buena Vista County – seat: Storm Lake, with Alta and Newell around the large lake; Clay County – seat: Spencer, a retail hub at the Little Sioux; Palo Alto County – seat: Emmetsburg, with Graettinger and West Bend; Pocahontas County – seat: Pocahontas, a small central city.

• Humboldt County – seat: Dakota City (twin to Humboldt across the river).

• Kossuth County – seat: Algona. Iowa’s largest county by area, Algona, Bancroft, and Whittemore dot the top row.

• Winnebago County – seat: Forest City sits along the state line with Lake Mills near I-35.

• Worth County – seat: Northwood, where the Shell Rock River dips south.

• Mitchell County – seat: Osage, between Worth and Howard; St. Ansgar stands near the Minnesota border.

• Howard County – seat: Cresco, with Lime Springs noted on the line.

• Winneshiek County – seat: Decorah. A standout rivers-and-bluffs county, Decorah is large, with Calmar and Ossian appearing to the south.

• Allamakee County – seat: Waukon. Iowa’s far northeast; Waukon sits inland while Lansing and Harpers Ferry cling to the Mississippi.

The Little Sioux to Raccoon River arc – west-central counties

Drop back to the western tier south of Sioux City to follow a neat chain along the Maple and Boyer valleys.

• Monona County – seat: Onawa. Between Woodbury and Harrison, Onawa is near the Missouri; Mapleton sits inland.

• Harrison County – seat: Logan. Missouri Valley and Dunlap mark the Loess Hills edge.

• Shelby County – seat: Harlan. Harlan is central; Defiance and Elk Horn are visible to the north and south.

• Crawford County – seat: Denison, a regional town on the Boyer River with Manilla and Charter Oak nearby.

• Ida County – seat: Ida Grove, with castle-like landmarks and Holstein to the west.

• Sac County – seat: Sac City, flanked by Lake View on Black Hawk Lake and Odebolt.

• Calhoun County – seat: Rockwell City, set between Manson and Lake City.

• Greene County – seat: Jefferson, where a tall courthouse tower stands out; Grand Junction and Scranton line the diagonals.

• Carroll County – seat: Carroll, a trading hub with Manning and Glidden on either flank.

• Guthrie County – seat: Guthrie Center, with lake towns Panora and Lake Panorama noted eastward.

• Audubon County – seat: Audubon, home to “Albert the Bull,” squeezed neatly between Shelby and Guthrie.

• Cass County – seat: Atlantic, just north of I-80, with Anita to the northeast.

Greater Des Moines region – the capital and its ring

The map places Des Moines prominently in Polk County, at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers.

• Polk County – seat: Des Moines. Labels show Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Altoona, and Clive spreading through central Iowa.

• Dallas County – seat: Adel. Fast-growing suburbs like Waukee and Perry sit along the I-80/US-169 corridors.

• Warren County – seat: Indianola, south of the metro with Norwalk and Carlisle near the Polk line.

• Madison County – seat: Winterset, home to covered bridge lore; Earlham and Truro are on the grid.

• Jasper County – seat: Newton, with Colfax and Baxter along the Des Moines River slope.

• Marion County – seat: Knoxville, with Pella and Lake Red Rock highlighted.

• Boone County – seat: Boone, northwest of the metro; Ogden and the High Trestle Trail area sit near the Des Moines River.

• Story County – seat: Nevada. The university city of Ames is prominent just north of the county seat.

• Marshall County – seat: Marshalltown, with State Center showing as “Mid-Iowa.”

Central and north-central interior – Fort Dodge and Mason City corridors

Moving north from Des Moines, two river hubs anchor central Iowa.

• Webster County – seat: Fort Dodge. Fort Dodge is bold along the Des Moines River with Gowrie to the south.

• Hamilton County – seat: Webster City, a tidy label on the Boone below I-35.

• Hardin County – seat: Eldora, with Iowa Falls straddling the Iowa River.

• Wright County – seat: Clarion, with Eagle Grove and Belmond forming a west-east line.

• Hancock County – seat: Garner, while Britt, Kanawha, and Forest City lie around the edges.

• Cerro Gordo County – seat: Mason City. Mason City and Clear Lake form a twin-town complex visible from the interstate.

The Cedar Valley and Northeast corridor – Waterloo–Cedar Falls to Dubuque

Follow the Shell Rock and Cedar rivers eastward through a dense chain of county seats.

• Franklin County – seat: Hampton sits between Cerro Gordo and Hardin.

• Butler County – seat: Allison, with Shell Rock and Clarksville following the river.

• Bremer County – seat: Waverly. Waverly is central, while Cedar Falls touches the county’s southern line in neighboring Black Hawk County.

• Black Hawk County – seat: Waterloo (with Cedar Falls beside it). This duo is a primary label cluster on the Cedar River.

• Grundy County – seat: Grundy Center, a farm services hub between Waterloo and Marshalltown.

• Buchanan County – seat: Independence, east of Black Hawk on US-20.

• Fayette County – seat: West Union, with Oelwein and Fayette along branch rivers.

• Clayton County – seat: Elkader. Along the Mississippi palisades, Guttenberg and McGregor sit on river bends.

• Delaware County – seat: Manchester. The Maquoketa River threads through; Earlville and Delhi are marked.

• Dubuque County – seat: Dubuque. A strong Mississippi anchor with Dyersville inland, famous for baseball lore.

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City corridor – I-380 and the southern driftless edge

• Linn County – seat: Cedar Rapids. The map shows Cedar Rapids with Marion and Hiawatha; the Cedar River loops through.

• Benton County – seat: Vinton, between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo; Belle Plaine lies on the county’s south line.

• Tama County – seat: Toledo, with Tama, a twin city, and Traer on the south tier.

• Poweshiek County – seat: Montezuma, with Grinnell (college town) prominent along I-80.

• Iowa County – seat: Marengo, where the English River meanders; Williamsburg appears along the interstate.

• Johnson County – seat: Iowa City. Iowa City is a bold label, connected to Coralville and just north of University Heights.

• Cedar County – seat: Tipton, with West Branch and Mechanicsville on the county grid.

• Jones County – seat: Anamosa, with Monticello on the US-151 line.

• Jackson County – seat: Maquoketa, a halfway hub on US-61 with Bellevue pressed to the Mississippi.

Southeast river counties, the Loess Hills south, and the whole southern tier

The Mississippi arc from Clinton to Burlington

• Clinton County – seat: Clinton. Clinton straddles the Mississippi with bridges to Illinois; DeWitt sits inland along the county’s crossroads.

• Scott County – seat: Davenport. The Quad Cities region shows Davenport and neighboring Bettendorf, facing Rock Island and Moline across the river.

• Muscatine County – seat: Muscatine. A river bend city with West Liberty and Wilton inland.

• Louisa County – seat: Wapello, where the Iowa and Mississippi rivers meet; Columbus Junction is highlighted at the confluence.

• Des Moines County – seat: Burlington. Burlington anchors the Great River Bridge area with West Burlington beside it.

• Lee County – dual seats: Fort Madison and Keokuk. The only dual-seat county in Iowa, Keokuk, is at the far southeast tip of the river; Fort Madison lies upstream.

Southeast interior – Amish routes, courthouse squares, and university towns

• Washington County – seat: Washington, with Kalona on the county’s north edge and Riverside along the English River.

• Keokuk County – seat: Sigourney, surrounded by small towns like What Cheer and Keota.

• Jefferson County – seat: Fairfield, a cultural hub with Fairfield’s central square and Lockridge marked.

• Henry County – seat: Mount Pleasant, with New London and Winfield nearby.

• Van Buren County – seat: Keosauqua, a riverbend county with the Villages of Van Buren, Farmington, and Bonaparte lining the Des Moines River.

• Wapello County – seat: Ottumwa, a major label on the Des Moines River; Eddyville lies northwest on the county’s border.

• Mahaska County – seat: Oskaloosa, with New Sharon north and University Park adjacent to the seat.

• Monroe County – seat: Albia, centered between Wapello and Lucas.

• Appanoose County – seat: Centerville, with lake country around Rathbun Lake stretching into Wayne and Lucas.

• Davis County – seat: Bloomfield, on the Missouri line with Eldon just over in Wapello County.

Southern tier westward – Missouri line counties

• Van Buren listed above marks the far southeast; from there, the line runs west:

• Lee, Des Moines, and Louisa finish the riverfront; the Missouri line tier begins with

• Fremont County – seat: Sidney, where the Nishnabotna meets the Missouri; Hamburg lies at the extreme southwest corner.

• Page County – seat: Clarinda, with Shenandoah to the north.

• Taylor County – seat: Bedford, on the rolling Missouri border.

• Ringgold County – seat: Mount Ayr, a small but distinct seat on US-169.

• Decatur County – seat: Leon, just west of Lamoni along I-35 at the Missouri line.

• Wayne County – seat: Corydon, north of Mercer County, MO.

• Lucas County – seat: Chariton, with Russell and Derby marked.

• Clarke County – seat: Osceola, a junction town on I-35 with Murray westward.

• Union County – seat: Creston, a rail town with Afton at the county’s east edge.

• Adams County – seat: Corning, a small county centered along the Nodaway.

• Montgomery County – seat: Red Oak, with Villisca and Stanton around it.

• Mills County – seat: Glenwood, north of the Nishnabotna, with Malvern along US-34.

• Pottawattamie County – seats: Council Bluffs and Avoca (primary functions based in Council Bluffs). The map shows Council Bluffs directly across from Omaha, Nebraska.

South-central uplands back toward Des Moines

• Adair County – seat: Greenfield, with Stuart and Orient visible.

• Madison County – seat: Winterset, already noted; Earlham ties it to I-80.

• Warren County – seat: Indianola, bridging metro Des Moines and rural south.

• Marion County – seat: Knoxville again anchors the Red Rock Lake area.

• Lucas, Clarke, and Decatur described the I-35 corridor to Missouri above.

The Skunk River and central east, from Marshalltown to the Quad Cities

• Marshall County – seat: Marshalltown sits on the Iowa River with State Center west and Le Grand east.

• Tama County – seat: Toledo links with Tama; the Meskwaki Settlement is noted on many atlases just west of town.

• Poweshiek County – seat: Montezuma, with Grinnell as a prominent college town.

• Iowa County – seat: Marengo, then Johnson County – seat: Iowa City, along the I-380 link to Cedar Rapids.

• Eastward, Cedar County – seat: Tipton, Clinton County – seat: Clinton, and Scott County – seat: Davenport lead to the Quad Cities river bends.

The north-east interior south of the Minnesota line

Drop below the top row to finish the remaining blocks running west to east:

• Hancock, Wright, Franklin, Butler, and Grundy were covered; continuing south:

• Hardin County – seat: Eldora; Story County – seat: Nevada (with Ames); Boone County – seat: Boone; Greene County – seat: Jefferson.

• Jasper County – seat: Newton, Poweshiek – Montezuma, Iowa – Marengo, Johnson – Iowa City, Washington – Washington form the mid-east chain.

• Keokuk – Sigourney, Jefferson – Fairfield, Henry – Mount Pleasant, Des Moines – Burlington, Lee – Fort Madison/Keokuk finish the lower Mississippi approach.

The Cedar, Wapsipinicon, and Maquoketa corridors to Wisconsin and Illinois

• Linn – Cedar Rapids and Benton – Vinton are followed north by Buchanan – Independence, Fayette – West Union, Clayton – Elkader on the rugged driftless edge.

• South toward the Illinois line: Jones – Anamosa, Jackson – Maquoketa, Clinton – Clinton, Scott – Davenport, and Muscatine – Muscatine complete the river mosaic.

Why this county-first Iowa map works for every audience

• Residents and researchers can confirm jurisdictions, vital for property, courts, and public records, because county names and county seats are unmistakably labeled.

• Travelers see how metro clusters sit within their counties: Des Moines in Polk, Cedar Rapids in Linn, Iowa City in Johnson, Waterloo in Black Hawk, Davenport in Scott, Sioux City in Woodbury, Council Bluffs in Pottawattamie, Dubuque in Dubuque, and Mason City in Cerro Gordo.

• Geography students appreciate the tidy checkerboard rows that make Iowa a top state for county-seat quizzes. The gentle use of interstates helps them orient without clutter.