Floyd County has been identified as one of 13 in the state that had higher than expected rates of cancer. The State of Iowa has the second highest cancer rate in the country behind only Kentucky and is the only state with a rising rate. Governor Kim Reynolds’ husband, Kevin, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023. That helped eventually lead to $1million being dedicated to the University of Iowa to research why the state’s cancer rates are so high. Floyd County’s cancer rate was higher than the already elevated rate that would be expected. Researchers say their future analysis wil look into additional risk factors such as genetic or environmental factors within the county. The other counties with higher than expected rates were Linn, Jackson, Clinton, Tama, Des Moines, Wapello, Appanoose, Marion, Cass, Woodbury, Cherokee, and Palo Alto. The states surrounding Iowa also had elevated cancer rates, but not as high as Iowa’s and researchers say that gap is widening.
