Sales tax in Dubuque County, Iowa
There is no single sales tax rate in Dubuque County. It runs from 6% to 7% depending on the exact address, because cities and special districts inside the county levy their own on top of the 6% state rate. The 6% state rate applies everywhere in the county; everything above that depends on where you are standing. These rates were read from Iowa's own published schedule and checked on September 9, 2026.
What is the sales tax rate in Dubuque County?
| Iowa state rate | 6% |
|---|---|
| Dubuque County rate | 1% |
| Lowest combined rate in the county | 6% |
| Highest combined rate in the county | 7% |
The combined figures are the lowest and highest totals anywhere in Dubuque County, so the rows above do not add up to them.
How much sales tax is that on a purchase in Dubuque County?
At 6%, a $100 purchase carries $6.00 in sales tax and a $1,000 purchase $60.00, at the lowest rate in the county. At the highest, 7%, the same purchases carry $7.00 and $70.00. That is general merchandise; Iowa taxes some categories, often groceries, differently, as the note below explains.
Dubuque County's lowest rate is the lowest in Iowa, shared with 44 other counties. See every Iowa county.
Sales tax in counties next to Dubuque County
Dubuque County borders 6 counties, 2 of them in another state. The lowest rate next door is 5.5% in Grant County, WI, which is $5.00 less on a $1,000 purchase than the lowest rate in Dubuque County.
| County | Combined sales tax |
|---|---|
| Jo Daviess County, IL | 7.25% to 8.25% |
| Clayton County, IA | 7% |
| Jackson County, IA | 7% |
| Jones County, IA | 7% |
| Delaware County, IA | 6% to 7% |
| Dubuque County, IA (this county) | 6% to 7% |
| Grant County, WI | 5.5% |
Why the rate here is not the whole story
Iowa's state rate is 6 percent and local option sales tax is a flat 1 percent that each jurisdiction adopts for itself, so there is no countywide Iowa sales tax rate as such. Cities vote on it one at a time and the county board adopts it separately for the unincorporated area, and a jurisdiction can start or end the tax only on January 1 or July 1. A city whose limits cross a county line is listed once under each county and the two halves can carry different rates, so the department's listing counts it separately in each. Of the 21 cities the department lists in Dubuque County, 20 charge the 1 percent and Durango has not, so the combined rate is 7 percent in some places in this county and 6 percent in others. The unincorporated area outside the cities has adopted it as well, so the county's own 1 percent applies to every address the department does not list under a city. Use the department's address lookup rather than a single county figure.
How do I find the exact rate for an address in Dubuque County?
Use Iowa's own address lookup. In Dubuque County the rate depends on the address, anywhere from 6% to 7%.
Who has to collect sales tax in Dubuque County?
Any seller with a physical presence in Iowa collects at the rate for the address of the sale; a remote seller does once it passes Iowa's economic nexus threshold. Iowa sales tax covers the statewide rules and what is exempt.
Work out your own numbers
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Sales tax calculator
Tax on a specific purchase at this county's rate, and the total you will actually pay.
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Do you have to collect?
Whether your sales into Iowa cross its economic nexus threshold. A different question from the rate.
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Property tax in Dubuque County
The other local tax: effective rate and median bill for this county.
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Sales tax by county
Every US county, and how Iowa compares with the rest of the country.
Sources
- Dubuque County rates: Iowa Department of Revenue, Local Option Sales Tax jurisdiction listing, Status of All Jurisdictions effective July 1, 2026 (workbook updated June 18, 2026), https://revenue.iowa.gov/media/195/download?inline
- Collected and verified September 9, 2026. Confidence: P on the rate components, P on the range (P read on a primary agency page, S strong but indirect, U unverified).