# Mahaska, Iowa — #616 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.85 of 10. FIPS 19123. Population 21,874. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 21,900 people live in Mahaska, Iowa. It ranks #616 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #31 of 99 in Iowa. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.26% of a home's value each year, more than in 84% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 81% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 77% of counties. Life expectancy is about 77.2 years, longer than in 66% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 58% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 43), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 75% 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 | 5.72 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.54 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 10.00 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 3.70 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 6.36 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 7.20 |  |
| Government employees | county | 8.15 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 6.47 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1000 Monroe, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19135.md
- #976 Jasper, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19099.md
- #1975 Wapello, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19179.md
- #446 Poweshiek, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19157.md
- #777 Marion, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19125.md
- #662 Keokuk, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19107.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/19123
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=19123
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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