Benton County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 21.9 | 25,796 people · 91st most distressed in Iowa
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Benton County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 21.9 — 3090th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where the job market is relatively stable with wages that keep pace with costs. Within Iowa, it ranks 91st of 99 counties. It scores lower than all 7 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Benton County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 44.4 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 44.4
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 14
Business Formation Rate 88
Debt & Delinquency 24.2
Debt in Collections 22
Medical Debt 42
Student Loan Delinquency 12
Auto Loan Delinquency 12
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 51
Housing Cost Burden 24.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 17
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 40
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 58
Homeownership Rate 4
Rent-to-Income Ratio 0
Income & Poverty 9.4
Poverty Rate 7
Income vs. State Median 13
Child Poverty Rate 8
Community Vulnerability 7.7
Uninsured Rate 2
Disability Rate 13

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Benton County
Benton County, IA 21.9 Healthy —
Black Hawk County, IA 45.0 Normal +23.1
Tama County, IA 41.3 Normal +19.3
Johnson County, IA 34.0 Healthy +12.1
Poweshiek County, IA 33.5 Healthy +11.6
Linn County, IA 31.7 Healthy +9.8
Iowa County, IA 27.7 Healthy +5.8
Buchanan County, IA 27.1 Healthy +5.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Benton County
Butler County, IA 22.1 Healthy +0.1
Mercer County, OH 21.8 Healthy -0.1
Monroe County, IL 22.2 Healthy +0.3
Saunders County, NE 22.5 Healthy +0.6
Putnam County, OH 22.5 Healthy +0.6

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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 Benton County, Iowa?

    Benton County has a County Distress Index score of 21.9 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,090th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 91st in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Benton County?

    The primary driver of distress in Benton County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 44.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Benton County compare to neighboring counties?

    Benton County (21.9) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Black Hawk County, IA (45.0); Tama County, IA (41.3); Johnson County, IA (34.0).

  • 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 Benton County?

    Benton County, Iowa has a population of approximately 25,796 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.