Adams County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 33.8 | 3,544 people · 46th most distressed in Iowa
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Adams County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 33.8 — 2715th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where income and poverty levels indicate moderate economic strain. Within Iowa, it ranks 46th of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Adams County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 46.7 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 46.7
Poverty Rate 34
Income vs. State Median 69
Child Poverty Rate 37
Employment & Wages 39.3
Unemployment Rate 5
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 27
Business Formation Rate 86
Debt & Delinquency 39.2
Debt in Collections 28
Medical Debt 48
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 19
Credit Card Delinquency 71
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 37
Community Vulnerability 25.0
Uninsured Rate 9
Disability Rate 41
Housing Cost Burden 18.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 19
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 15
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 37
Rent-to-Income Ratio 17

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Adams County
Adams County, IA 33.8 Healthy —
Montgomery County, IA 46.6 Normal +12.8
Cass County, IA 46.0 Normal +12.3
Union County, IA 45.0 Normal +11.2
Page County, IA 43.3 Normal +9.6
Ringgold County, IA 39.7 Normal +5.9
Taylor County, IA 34.4 Healthy +0.6
Adair County, IA 31.1 Healthy -2.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Adams County
Hamilton County, KS 33.8 Healthy +0.0
Clear Creek County, CO 33.7 Healthy -0.0
Audubon County, IA 33.7 Healthy -0.0
Chariton County, MO 33.8 Healthy +0.1
Pierce County, ND 33.8 Healthy +0.1

Download Data

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

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Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Adams County has a County Distress Index score of 33.8 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,715th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 46th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Adams County?

    The primary driver of distress in Adams County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 46.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Adams County compare to neighboring counties?

    Adams County (33.8) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Montgomery County, IA (46.6); Cass County, IA (46.0); Union County, IA (45.0).

  • 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 Adams County?

    Adams County, Iowa has a population of approximately 3,544 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.