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1 / 20#20. Dickinson County and Clay County
- Dickinson County population: 18,056
- Clay County population: 16,511
- Social connectedness index: 6,645,638
Most socially connected counties in Iowa
In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in Iowa using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
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2 / 20#19. Davis County and Wapello County
- Davis County population: 9,169
- Wapello County population: 35,166
- Social connectedness index: 7,607,405
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3 / 20#18. Chickasaw County and Floyd County
- Chickasaw County population: 11,658
- Floyd County population: 15,326
- Social connectedness index: 7,876,882
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4 / 20#17. Clayton County and Delaware County
- Clayton County population: 16,969
- Delaware County population: 17,600
- Social connectedness index: 8,470,172
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5 / 20#16. Emmet County and Palo Alto County
- Emmet County population: 9,229
- Palo Alto County population: 8,810
- Social connectedness index: 8,525,959
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6 / 20#15. O'Brien County and Osceola County
- O'Brien County population: 14,012
- Osceola County population: 5,978
- Social connectedness index: 9,053,824
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7 / 20#14. Mitchell County and Worth County
- Mitchell County population: 10,518
- Worth County population: 7,297
- Social connectedness index: 9,177,942
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8 / 20#13. Appanoose County and Monroe County
- Appanoose County population: 12,119
- Monroe County population: 7,504
- Social connectedness index: 9,188,506
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9 / 20#12. Audubon County and Cass County
- Audubon County population: 5,534
- Cass County population: 13,130
- Social connectedness index: 9,760,428
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10 / 20#11. Howard County and Winneshiek County
- Howard County population: 9,376
- Winneshiek County population: 19,815
- Social connectedness index: 10,001,763
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11 / 20#10. Calhoun County and Pocahontas County
- Calhoun County population: 9,763
- Pocahontas County population: 6,976
- Social connectedness index: 10,411,544
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12 / 20#9. Winnebago County and Hancock County
- Winnebago County population: 10,571
- Hancock County population: 10,615
- Social connectedness index: 10,723,273
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13 / 20#8. Jefferson County and Van Buren County
- Jefferson County population: 15,440
- Van Buren County population: 7,266
- Social connectedness index: 11,167,753
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14 / 20#7. Clarke County and Decatur County
- Clarke County population: 9,588
- Decatur County population: 7,665
- Social connectedness index: 11,550,532
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15 / 20#6. Ringgold County and Union County
- Ringgold County population: 4,642
- Union County population: 11,906
- Social connectedness index: 12,251,278
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16 / 20#5. Guthrie County and Adair County
- Guthrie County population: 10,722
- Adair County population: 7,389
- Social connectedness index: 13,197,481
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17 / 20#4. Page County and Fremont County
- Page County population: 15,014
- Fremont County population: 6,458
- Social connectedness index: 14,001,544
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18 / 20#3. Sac County and Ida County
- Sac County population: 9,686
- Ida County population: 6,833
- Social connectedness index: 15,140,827
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19 / 20#2. Lucas County and Wayne County
- Lucas County population: 8,747
- Wayne County population: 6,557
- Social connectedness index: 15,817,450
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20 / 20#1. Taylor County and Adams County
- Taylor County population: 5,924
- Adams County population: 3,544
- Social connectedness index: 26,380,604
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.
