County Data

Iowa County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 99 counties in Iowa, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 32.7.

Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26

Iowa Snapshot

99 Counties Scored
32.7 Mean Score
31.8 Median Score
64.3 Wapello County Most Distressed
11.5 Lyon County Least Distressed
7 Elevated 31 Normal 61 Healthy
Zone Distribution

Iowa County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 99 Iowa counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Most & Least Distressed

Most Distressed

#1 Wapello County
64.3 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress
#2 Des Moines County
62.2 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress
#3 Pottawattamie County
51.4 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress

Least Distressed

#99 Lyon County
11.5 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden
#98 Winneshiek County
16.7 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden
#97 Grundy County
16.7 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden

Score Distribution

How Iowa's 99 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.

All Iowa Counties

99 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.

State Rank Nat'l Rank County Score Zone Primary Driver
1 687 Wapello County 64.3 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
2 810 Des Moines County 62.2 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
3 1,496 Pottawattamie County 51.4 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
4 1,497 Black Hawk County 51.3 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
5 1,501 Woodbury County 51.3 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
6 1,521 Montgomery County 51.0 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
7 1,522 Appanoose County 51.0 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
8 1,589 Jefferson County 49.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
9 1,608 Clinton County 49.5 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
10 1,751 Lee County 47.5 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
11 1,819 Cass County 46.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
12 1,850 Lucas County 45.9 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
13 1,948 Scott County 44.0 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
14 1,980 Decatur County 43.5 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
15 1,982 Polk County 43.5 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
16 2,033 Jasper County 42.6 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
17 2,053 Greene County 42.3 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
18 2,063 Clarke County 42.1 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
19 2,079 Page County 41.8 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
20 2,090 Webster County 41.6 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
21 2,105 Muscatine County 41.3 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
22 2,119 Monona County 41.1 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
23 2,140 Henry County 40.8 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
24 2,165 Monroe County 40.4 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
25 2,201 Van Buren County 39.9 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
26 2,268 Poweshiek County 38.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
27 2,313 Linn County 37.9 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
28 2,317 Crawford County 37.9 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
29 2,323 Keokuk County 37.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
30 2,332 Fayette County 37.6 Normal Housing Cost Burden
31 2,333 Union County 37.6 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
32 2,338 Hardin County 37.5 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
33 2,363 Harrison County 37.0 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
34 2,387 Audubon County 36.6 Normal Housing Cost Burden
35 2,416 Johnson County 36.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
36 2,462 Marshall County 35.3 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
37 2,467 Tama County 35.1 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
38 2,470 Story County 35.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden
39 2,478 Wright County 35.0 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
40 2,533 Emmet County 33.9 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
41 2,534 Ringgold County 33.9 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
42 2,551 Dubuque County 33.7 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
43 2,556 Adair County 33.6 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
44 2,573 Adams County 33.3 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
45 2,585 Mills County 33.1 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
46 2,620 Wayne County 32.5 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
47 2,621 Cherokee County 32.4 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
48 2,639 Buena Vista County 32.2 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
49 2,648 Pocahontas County 32.0 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
50 2,656 Winnebago County 31.8 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
51 2,706 Shelby County 30.9 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
52 2,742 Louisa County 30.4 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
53 2,744 Franklin County 30.4 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
54 2,757 Cerro Gordo County 30.0 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
55 2,768 Guthrie County 29.9 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
56 2,781 Taylor County 29.6 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
57 2,792 Clayton County 29.3 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
58 2,808 Cedar County 28.8 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
59 2,812 Warren County 28.7 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
60 2,814 Madison County 28.7 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
61 2,834 Marion County 28.4 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
62 2,845 Hamilton County 28.1 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
63 2,847 Clay County 28.0 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
64 2,858 Osceola County 27.8 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
65 2,859 Floyd County 27.8 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
66 2,869 Washington County 27.6 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
67 2,876 O'Brien County 27.4 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
68 2,895 Kossuth County 26.9 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
69 2,897 Mahaska County 26.8 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
70 2,902 Allamakee County 26.8 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
71 2,903 Jackson County 26.8 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
72 2,917 Fremont County 26.3 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
73 2,926 Jones County 26.1 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
74 2,972 Delaware County 24.8 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
75 2,984 Boone County 24.4 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
76 2,987 Iowa County 24.3 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
77 2,990 Dallas County 24.1 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
78 2,991 Hancock County 24.1 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
79 2,994 Dickinson County 24.0 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
80 2,997 Buchanan County 23.8 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
81 3,000 Calhoun County 23.5 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
82 3,001 Humboldt County 23.4 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
83 3,004 Palo Alto County 23.4 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
84 3,006 Carroll County 23.3 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
85 3,019 Worth County 22.8 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
86 3,021 Benton County 22.7 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
87 3,026 Davis County 22.4 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
88 3,069 Plymouth County 20.1 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
89 3,089 Ida County 19.2 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
90 3,093 Chickasaw County 18.7 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
91 3,094 Howard County 18.5 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
92 3,099 Sioux County 18.2 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
93 3,101 Butler County 18.2 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
94 3,102 Sac County 18.2 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
95 3,106 Mitchell County 17.9 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
96 3,107 Bremer County 17.9 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
97 3,119 Grundy County 16.7 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
98 3,120 Winneshiek County 16.7 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
99 3,142 Lyon County 11.5 Healthy Housing Cost Burden

How County Scores Work

Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.

Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties

Full CDI methodology and data sources

Iowa Resources

Iowa State Profile

State ADI score: 40.7 (Healthy). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for Iowa.

Find Help in Iowa

HUD-approved housing counselors, legal aid offices, credit counselors, and debtor education providers in Iowa.

Iowa Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in Iowa.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare Iowa to the rest of the country.

National County Profiles

All 3,144 U.S. counties ranked by financial distress score.
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