# Howard, Iowa — #504 of 3,144 counties > Liberty Moving composite score 6.94 of 10. FIPS 19089. Population 9,376. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values. About 9,400 people live in Howard, Iowa. It ranks #504 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #17 of 99 in Iowa. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.17% of a home's value each year, more than in 80% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 92% of counties. Life expectancy is about 76.7 years, longer than in 60% of counties. Air quality is better than in 62% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 39), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 83% of counties. On this site's state scores, Iowa gets 6.91 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights. ## Scores | Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag | |---|---|---|---| | Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.91 | | | 2A | state | 10.00 | | | Air quality | county | 6.12 | | | GOP + LP vote for President | county | 6.53 | | | Homicide rate | county | 8.80 | est | | Sales tax | county | 3.64 | | | Property tax | county | 4.15 | | | Floods / hurricanes | county | 7.46 | | | Life expectancy | county | 6.70 | | | Government employees | county | 9.26 | | | Single-parent households | county | 9.20 | | "est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure. ## Neighbors - #1804 Fillmore, Minnesota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/27045.md - #557 Chickasaw, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19037.md - #617 Mitchell, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19131.md - #714 Winneshiek, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19191.md - #2377 Mower, Minnesota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/27099.md ## Links - Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/19089 - Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=19089 - Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology - Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy