When was Worth County founded?

Worth County was founded in 1851, formed from Delaware County and Polk County, and named after William J. Worth.

What is the county seat of Worth County?

The county seat of Worth County is Northwood.

Is there an online parcel map for Worth County?

Yes. Worth County publishes a parcel map of 11,696 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Worth County's boundary or name changed?

Worth County was created in 1851 from Delaware County and Polk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Cerro Gordo County, Chickasaw County and Floyd County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

We do not have flood maps for Worth County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

County · code 19195

Worth CountyIowa

Worth County is a county in Iowa with its seat in Northwood. It was created on January 15, 1851, from parts of Delaware and Polk counties and named after William J. Worth.

Founded1851
County seatNorthwood
Named forWilliam J. Worth
Land area400 sq mi + 1.8 sq mi water
Population7,443 2020 Census
Parcels mapped11,696 checked 15 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Worth County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1851 from Delaware County and Polk County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Worth County was created from Non-County Area 6 attached to Delaware and Non-County Area 9 attached to Polk, but was not fully organized at first. For several years it was attached to neighboring counties for administrative and judicial purposes: Chickasaw, Floyd, Mitchell, and then Cerro Gordo. Worth County became fully organized and independent on May 1, 1858.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

1851
Worth County created Worth created from Non-County Area 6 attached to Delaware and Non-County Area 9 attached to Polk; Worth not fully organized, not attached.
from Delaware from Polk
15 January 1851 · Iowa Acts 1850-1851, ch. 9, sec. 44/p. 37
1853
Changed Worth attached to Chickasaw for administrative and judicial purposes (Worth indirectly attached to Fayette, through Chickasaw, until 12 September 1853).
Chickasaw Fayette
22 January 1853 · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 12, sec. 1/p. 28
1855
Changed Worth detached from Chickasaw, attached to Floyd "for judicial purposes".
Chickasaw Floyd
8 February 1855 · Clyde and Dwelle, 1:17; History of Mitchell and Worth, 145, 148; Iowa Acts 1854-1855, ch. 111, secs. 5-6/pp. 174-175; Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 545-546
1857
Changed Worth detached from Floyd, attached to Mitchell "for judicial purposes."
Floyd Mitchell
10 February 1857 · Iowa Acts 1856-1857, ch. 56, secs. 2, 4/pp. 66-67
1858
Changed Worth detached from Mitchell, attached to Cerro Gordo "for judicial, election, and revenue purposes."
Mitchell Cerro Gordo
24 March 1858 · Iowa Acts 1858, ch. 47, secs. 1, 3/p. 53
1858
Changed Worth fully organized, detached from Cerro Gordo.
Cerro Gordo
1 May 1858 · Iowa Acts 1858, ch. 144, secs. 1-2/pp. 284-285; Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 576

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Worth

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 11,696 parcels from Worth County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 15 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Worth County yet.
Buildings Reference

Roof outlines traced from aerial imagery from FEMA Response Geospatial Office with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Good for seeing what is on a lot; not accurate enough to set a fence from.
checked 18 October 2026

Official: from the office that keeps the record
Good enough: a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback: a guide only; check the official record
Missing: nothing public found yet

People and land

Worth by the Census

Population

7,443 2020 Census count

Housing units

3,480 2020 Census count

Land area

400 square miles

Water area

1.8 square miles

People per sq mi

19 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Who to ask before you build, dig or sell

Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.

Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.

Zoning and code

Planning and Zoningfrom worthcountyiowa.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Worth County.
worthcounty.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open Worth County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.

Open the free map no sign-in Pro early access

Questions

Common questions about Worth County

When was Worth County founded?: Worth County was founded in 1851, formed from Delaware County and Polk County, and named after William J. Worth.
What is the county seat of Worth County?: The county seat of Worth County is Northwood.
Is there an online parcel map for Worth County?: Yes. Worth County publishes a parcel map of 11,696 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Worth County's boundary or name changed?: Worth County was created in 1851 from Delaware County and Polk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Cerro Gordo County, Chickasaw County and Floyd County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Worth County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby