State Market Insights
By Category
All Pharmacies
699
Retail
437
Specialty
33
Hospital
22
LTC
178
MailOrder
7
Wholesale
4
Remote
18
Market Scale
Population
3,188,836
Density (all) /10k
2.20
Density (retail) /10k
1.37
Pharmacy Desert Counties
32
Avg. VigilScale™
61/100
Avg. Enrollment Age
15 yrs
Chain Mix
Solo (1)
153
Small Group (2–9)
123
Mid Chain (10–49)
79
Large Chain (50+)
175
Mega Chain
170
Special Designations
Independent
153
Sterile Compounding
13
Tele-Pharmacy
21
Government Owned
15
Non-Profit
23
Top Chains
HYVEE
21%
WALGREENS
11%
WALMART
9%
Iowa Pharmacy Landscape
🔒 Browse New Pharmacy Openings in Iowa
Search recently enrolled pharmacies and filter by category
Iowa Board of Pharmacy
State Regulator
Visit official state pharmacy board website
Iowa PMP
Official Program Information
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program requirements and information
Iowa PMP
Clinical Login
Look up patient prescription history before dispensing controlled substances
Iowa PMP
Data Submission Portal
Submit prescription dispensing data to state monitoring database
Quick Facts
Key regulatory requirements and practice standards
Pharmacist-Technician Ratio
State regulations require a pharmacist-to-technician ratio of 1:2 (If TPV used), else none to maintain safe pharmacy operations.
Continuing Education
Pharmacists must complete 30 hrs biennially (2 law, 2 med error) of continuing education to maintain active licensure.
Technician Requirements
Pharmacy technicians in this state must meet the following requirement: National certification required.
Intern Supervision
Pharmacy intern supervision follows this standard: 1:1.
Remote Pharmacy
Remote pharmacy work and telepharmacy services are governed by these rules: Permitted.
Vaccine Authority
Pharmacist authority to administer vaccines: Independent authority.
Regulatory Warnings
Compliance requirements and monitoring obligations
Pharmacist in Charge Notification
When a Pharmacist in Charge (PIC) changes, the pharmacy must notify the state board within the following timeframe: 10 days.
Prescription Monitoring Reporting
Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) reporting requirements: Next business day.
PMP Query Requirements
Before dispensing controlled substances, pharmacists must check the Prescription Monitoring Program: Mandatory for all Sch II-IV.
Board Inspection Focus
State pharmacy board inspections frequently focus on: Technician Product Verification (TPV) is legal and common..
Top Cities by Pharmacy Count
Largest pharmacy markets in Iowa
Browse by County
All counties sorted by pharmacy count
Polk County
493,378 pop · 74 retail · 1.50 density
Linn County
229,308 pop · 35 retail · 1.53 density
Johnson County
153,360 pop · 21 retail · 1.37 density
Scott County
174,315 pop · 21 retail · 1.20 density
Black Hawk County
131,041 pop · 18 retail · 1.37 density
Dubuque County
98,812 pop · 16 retail · 1.62 density
Woodbury County
105,526 pop · 11 retail · 1.04 density
Pottawattamie County
93,543 pop · 16 retail · 1.71 density
Story CountyPharmacy Desert
98,573 pop · 9 retail · 0.91 density
Cerro Gordo County
42,979 pop · 10 retail · 2.33 density
Des Moines County
38,824 pop · 7 retail · 1.80 density
Webster County
36,986 pop · 5 retail · 1.35 density
Sioux CountyPharmacy Desert
35,815 pop · 2 retail · 0.56 density
Lee County
33,442 pop · 8 retail · 2.39 density
Buena Vista County
20,687 pop · 6 retail · 2.90 density
Jasper County
37,808 pop · 4 retail · 1.06 density
Marion County
33,487 pop · 4 retail · 1.19 density
Boone County
26,700 pop · 4 retail · 1.50 density
Clinton County
46,488 pop · 5 retail · 1.08 density
Dallas CountyPharmacy Desert
100,367 pop · 3 retail · 0.30 density
Marshall County
40,049 pop · 5 retail · 1.25 density
Page County
15,225 pop · 5 retail · 3.28 density
Plymouth County
25,621 pop · 4 retail · 1.56 density
Wapello County
35,292 pop · 4 retail · 1.13 density
Bremer County
25,012 pop · 4 retail · 1.60 density
Henry County
20,436 pop · 6 retail · 2.94 density
Iowa County
16,575 pop · 7 retail · 4.22 density
Muscatine County
42,968 pop · 7 retail · 1.63 density
Warren CountyPharmacy Desert
52,709 pop · 3 retail · 0.57 density
Benton County
25,652 pop · 5 retail · 1.95 density
Carroll CountyPharmacy Desert
20,728 pop · 2 retail · 0.96 density
Clay County
16,423 pop · 3 retail · 1.83 density
Mahaska County
22,059 pop · 3 retail · 1.36 density
O'Brien CountyPharmacy Desert
14,138 pop · 1 retail · 0.71 density
Washington County
22,534 pop · 5 retail · 2.22 density
Dickinson County
17,692 pop · 3 retail · 1.70 density
Jones County
20,733 pop · 4 retail · 1.93 density
Madison County
16,609 pop · 3 retail · 1.81 density
Poweshiek County
18,608 pop · 5 retail · 2.69 density
Allamakee County
14,046 pop · 3 retail · 2.14 density
Appanoose County
12,279 pop · 3 retail · 2.44 density
Clayton County
17,123 pop · 3 retail · 1.75 density
Fayette County
19,519 pop · 3 retail · 1.54 density
Hardin County
16,861 pop · 3 retail · 1.78 density
Jackson County
19,470 pop · 3 retail · 1.54 density
Jefferson County
15,785 pop · 2 retail · 1.27 density
Palo Alto County
8,938 pop · 1 retail · 1.12 density
Buchanan County
20,631 pop · 3 retail · 1.45 density
Calhoun County
9,893 pop · 1 retail · 1.01 density
Cass County
13,116 pop · 2 retail · 1.52 density
Cedar County
18,479 pop · 3 retail · 1.62 density
Cherokee CountyPharmacy Desert
11,601 pop · 1 retail · 0.86 density
Clarke County
9,737 pop · 3 retail · 3.08 density
Crawford County
16,450 pop · 2 retail · 1.22 density
Decatur County
7,684 pop · 2 retail · 2.60 density
Grundy CountyPharmacy Desert
12,351 pop · 1 retail · 0.81 density
Harrison County
14,623 pop · 3 retail · 2.05 density
Howard County
9,479 pop · 2 retail · 2.11 density
Kossuth County
14,718 pop · 2 retail · 1.36 density
Mills County
14,605 pop · 2 retail · 1.37 density
Monona County
8,671 pop · 1 retail · 1.15 density
Tama County
17,017 pop · 2 retail · 1.18 density
Union County
12,107 pop · 3 retail · 2.48 density
Winneshiek County
20,050 pop · 2 retail · 1.00 density
Wright CountyPharmacy Desert
12,897 pop · 1 retail · 0.78 density
Adair CountyPharmacy Desert
7,479 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Audubon County
5,651 pop · 1 retail · 1.77 density
Butler CountyPharmacy Desert
14,376 pop · 1 retail · 0.70 density
Davis CountyPharmacy Desert
9,093 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Delaware CountyPharmacy Desert
17,523 pop · 1 retail · 0.57 density
Floyd CountyPharmacy Desert
15,601 pop · 1 retail · 0.64 density
Greene CountyPharmacy Desert
8,801 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Guthrie CountyPharmacy Desert
10,619 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Hamilton CountyPharmacy Desert
14,979 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Hancock County
10,790 pop · 2 retail · 1.85 density
Humboldt County
9,606 pop · 1 retail · 1.04 density
Ida CountyPharmacy Desert
6,969 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Louisa County
10,823 pop · 2 retail · 1.85 density
Mitchell CountyPharmacy Desert
10,537 pop · 1 retail · 0.95 density
Montgomery CountyPharmacy Desert
10,285 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Osceola CountyPharmacy Desert
6,149 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Pocahontas CountyPharmacy Desert
7,061 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Sac CountyPharmacy Desert
9,778 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Shelby CountyPharmacy Desert
11,737 pop · 1 retail · 0.85 density
Van Buren County
7,207 pop · 1 retail · 1.39 density
Wayne County
6,484 pop · 1 retail · 1.54 density
Winnebago CountyPharmacy Desert
10,704 pop · 1 retail · 0.93 density
Adams CountyPharmacy Desert
3,680 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Chickasaw CountyPharmacy Desert
11,957 pop · 1 retail · 0.84 density
Emmet CountyPharmacy Desert
9,349 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Franklin County
10,015 pop · 1 retail · 1.00 density
Fremont County
6,639 pop · 1 retail · 1.51 density
Keokuk County
10,026 pop · 1 retail · 1.00 density
Lucas County
8,666 pop · 1 retail · 1.15 density
Lyon CountyPharmacy Desert
12,023 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Monroe County
7,574 pop · 1 retail · 1.32 density
Ringgold County
4,690 pop · 1 retail · 2.13 density
Taylor County
5,916 pop · 1 retail · 1.69 density
Worth County
7,417 pop · 1 retail · 1.35 density
* Pharmacy Desert: fewer than 1 retail pharmacy per 10,000 residents, based on 2026 NPI and ROPA billing data.