A University of Iowa economics professor has used the so-called "Creativity Index" to rank Iowa’s counties. U-of-I business professor John Solow found Johnson, Story, Polk and Linn Counties top the list as most creative counties. "It certainly is true that the more densely-populated counties are higher on the ranking," Solow says.
The "Creativity Index" was devised by an economist who argues areas which will see growth in the future are places where creative people feel drawn to and comfortable in. "If he is right, people need to think about the fact that the economy is changing and if we dig our heels in and try to pretend that’s not true and try to plan for an economy that was around 50 years ago but is currently out of date, we’re going to be sort of bucking the tide of…economic reality and that’s not a very good thing for the state to be doing," Solow says.
Solow created his "Iowa Creativity Index" and found a link between a county’s population growth and how attractive that county is to those who work in creative professions. "If the world is changing in this way, then we have to be aware of that," Solow says. "We ought to be thinking about that."
IOWA CREATIVITY INDEX RANKINGS
1. Johnson
2. Story
3. Linn
4. Polk
5. Scott
6. Jefferson
7. Black Hawk
8. Dallas
9. Jasper
10. Woodbury
11. Dubuque
12. Warren
13. Poweshiek
14. Cerro Gordo
15. Marion
16. Muscatine
17. Floyd
18. Dickinson
19. Sioux
20. Madison
21. Des Moines
22. Boone
23. Palo Alto
24. Kossuth
25. Bremer
26. Winneshiek
27. Washington
28. Henry
29. Marshall
30. Pocahontas
31. Webster
32. Wapello
33. Pottawattamie
34. Cedar
35. Mahaska
36. Page
37. Franklin
38. Iowa
39. Winnebago
40. Hardin
41. Clay
42. Grundy
43. Butler
44. Hamilton
45. Guthrie
46. Plymouth
47. Clinton
48. Harrison
49. Adair
50. Decatur
51. Appanoose
52. Jones
53. Davis
54. Lee
55. Lyon
56. Buena Vista
57. Howard
58. Humboldt
59. O’Brien
60. Cass
61. Benton
62. Monona
63. Monroe
64. Hancock
65. Ida
66. Louisa
67. Osceola
68. Clarke
69. Union
70. Shelby
71. Calhoun
72. Sac
73. Greene
74. Delaware
75. Fayette
76. Mills
77. Mitchell
78. Ringgold
79. Jackson
80. Carroll
81. Emmet
82. Chickasaw
83. Fremont
84. Tama
85. Clayton
86. Cherokee
87. Wright
88. Audubon
89. Buchanan
90. Wayne
91. Keokuk
92. Lucas
93. Adams
94. Taylor
95. Van Buren
96. Crawford
97. Allamakee
98. Worth
99. Montgomery
