Unemployment in Audubon County, Iowa, is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Audubon County, 2.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Audubon County's score
In Audubon County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 54.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Audubon 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, Audubon County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (307.2, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.6% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people307.2 · 202591st percentile
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- 48.1 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 rent25.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.2% · fiscal year 20277th percentile
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- 29.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.0% · 202430th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.9% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance3.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,732 · 202443rd percentile
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- 15.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.5% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 9.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.7% · 2020 to 202414th 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 Audubon 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 Audubon County, 25.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Audubon County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Audubon County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Audubon County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Audubon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.8% in 2017 to 8.6% in 2018.
The share of households in Audubon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Audubon County, Iowa.
How Audubon County has changed
Audubon County's population had its largest drop, from 8,312 in 1984 to 7,404 in 1989.
Audubon County's population fell 41% from 1969 to 2024, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1974 to 1979, reaching 8,855. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Audubon County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Audubon County had its largest drop, from 2,074 in 2005 to 1,877 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Audubon County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 2,074 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Audubon County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 11.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,951 | 2024 $68,732 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.4% 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 Audubon County's history
1851
Formed January 15, 1851 from sections of Pottawattamie County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 13,626. The 2020 Census counted 5,674, 42% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Audubon County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Audubon County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Audubon County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Audubon County ranks 3rd of the five; Cass County is highest, at 26.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County, IA | 24 | 11.6% | 26.2% |
| Audubon County, IA | 18 | 11.0% | 23.6% |
| Guthrie County, IA | 12 | 8.8% | 23.1% |
| Shelby County, IA | 6 | 8.2% | 23.9% |
| Carroll County, IA | 0 | 8.0% | 21.1% |
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 Audubon County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Audubon County's poverty rate was 11.0% in 2024, 48th 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, Audubon County ranks 31st of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Audubon 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 Audubon 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 Audubon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.