In Appanoose County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Appanoose County, 19.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 64% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Appanoose County's score
In Appanoose County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 67.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 25.1. People with a credit card behind: 2.1%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Appanoose County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Appanoose County is worse off than most counties on median household income ($57,459, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.8% · 202469th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,459 · 202476th percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.1% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 52.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people156.8 · 202562nd percentile
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- 51.0 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.9% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.4% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
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- 25.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.1% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.0% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Appanoose County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Appanoose County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Appanoose County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Appanoose County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Appanoose County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Appanoose County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2021 low, from 16.1% in 2020 to 13.2% in 2021.
The share of households in Appanoose County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 13.2% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Appanoose County, Iowa.
How Appanoose County has changed
Appanoose County's population fell most sharply after its 1979 high, from 15,528 in 1979 to 14,640 in 1984.
Appanoose County's population fell by about a fifth to 12,106, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 15,528 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Appanoose County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Appanoose County had its largest drop, from 4,918 in 2005 to 4,364 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Appanoose County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 4,918 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Appanoose County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.4% | 2024 15.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,867 | 2024 $57,459 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Appanoose County's history
1843
Formed February 17, 1843 from open territory. Wikipedia
1885
325 miners struck on April 1, 1885 protesting 20% wage cut. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 30,535. The 2020 Census counted 12,317, 40% of the peak. Census Bureau
1930
Gypsum mine closed in the early 1930s after 1919 opening. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Appanoose County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Appanoose County beside its neighbors
Appanoose County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Iowa and Missouri. Of the group, Appanoose County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appanoose County, IA | 49 | 15.8% | 33.8% |
| Schuyler County, MO | 37 | 14.7% | 29.2% |
| Putnam County, MO | 23 | 13.8% | 31.8% |
| Wayne County, IA | 19 | 12.9% | 26.4% |
| Monroe County, IA | 18 | 11.3% | 25.2% |
| Davis County, IA | 10 | 10.4% | 21.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Appanoose County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Appanoose County's poverty rate was 15.8% in 2024, 5th highest of 99 in Iowa (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Decatur County, at 18.1%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Appanoose County ranks 4th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Appanoose County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Iowa Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Appanoose County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Appanoose County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.