Adair County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 31.1 | 7,389 people · 60th most distressed in Iowa
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Adair County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 31.1 — 2850th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where debt and delinquency rates remain below the national norm. Within Iowa, it ranks 60th of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Adair County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 37.6 — above the national median.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 37.6
Debt in Collections 33
Medical Debt 36
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 88
Credit Card Delinquency 25
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 11
Income & Poverty 32.6
Poverty Rate 19
Income vs. State Median 53
Child Poverty Rate 26
Housing Cost Burden 31.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 16
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 53
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 24
Homeownership Rate 54
Rent-to-Income Ratio 8
Employment & Wages 29.6
Unemployment Rate 6
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 13
Business Formation Rate 70
Community Vulnerability 24.3
Uninsured Rate 13
Disability Rate 35

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Adair County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Adair County
Adair County, IA 31.1 Healthy —
Cass County, IA 46.0 Normal +15.0
Union County, IA 45.0 Normal +13.9
Adams County, IA 33.8 Healthy +2.7
Audubon County, IA 33.7 Healthy +2.7
Madison County, IA 29.6 Healthy -1.5
Guthrie County, IA 28.0 Healthy -3.1
Dallas County, IA 19.1 Healthy -11.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Adair County
Greenlee County, AZ 31.1 Healthy +0.1
Yellow Medicine County, MN 31.1 Healthy +0.1
Hartley County, TX 30.9 Healthy -0.1
Logan County, NE 31.2 Healthy +0.1
Red Lake County, MN 31.2 Healthy +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Adair County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Adair County

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Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

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Iowa Legal Aid 1-800-532-1275

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Adair County, Iowa?

    Adair County has a County Distress Index score of 31.1 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,850th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 60th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Adair County?

    The primary driver of distress in Adair County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 37.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Adair County compare to neighboring counties?

    Adair County (31.1) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Cass County, IA (46.0); Union County, IA (45.0); Adams County, IA (33.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Adair County?

    Adair County, Iowa has a population of approximately 7,389 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.