About one in eight people in Black Hawk County, Iowa, has a disability
In Black Hawk County, 13.3% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 75% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Black Hawk County's score
In Black Hawk County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 56.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 35.3. About one in six adults aged 25 to 54 (16.7%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 74% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Black Hawk 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, Black Hawk County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.9 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 49.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people125.7 · 202549th percentile
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- 40.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 38.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.2% · 202458th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.7% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,553 · 202439th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.7% · 2020 to 202425th 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 Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Black Hawk County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Black Hawk County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Black Hawk County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Black Hawk County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 11.4% in 2009 to 12.4% in 2010; 12.8% in 2022 to 11.8% in 2023.
The share of households in Black Hawk County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Biggest drop: 2022 to 2023, reaching 11.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Black Hawk County, Iowa.
How Black Hawk County has changed
Black Hawk County's population fell most sharply on the way to its 1989 low, from 133,873 in 1984 to 123,256 in 1989.
Black Hawk County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 136,183 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Black Hawk County, Iowa.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Black Hawk County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 70,713, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 74,232 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Black Hawk County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.6% | 2024 14.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,980 | 2024 $70,553 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Black Hawk County's history
1853
Formed February 17, 1853 from sections of Buchanan County. Wikipedia
1960
A tornado in April 1960 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1964
A tornado in May 1964 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 137,961. The 2020 Census counted 131,144, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
John Deere cut 10,000 jobs and Rath meatpacking plant closed with 2,500 jobs lost in agricultural recession of 1980s. Wikipedia
2000
A tornado in May 2000 did $1.75 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Black Hawk County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Black Hawk County beside its neighbors
Black Hawk County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Black Hawk County ranks 3rd of the seven; Tama County is highest, at 24.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk County, IA | 39 | 14.2% | 24.2% |
| Tama County, IA | 19 | 11.6% | 24.6% |
| Buchanan County, IA | 4 | 10.5% | 21.3% |
| Benton County, IA | 3 | 7.2% | 19.4% |
| Butler County, IA | 3 | 8.8% | 24.6% |
| Grundy County, IA | 0 | 6.2% | 20.1% |
| Bremer County, IA | 0 | 7.2% | 19.8% |
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 Black Hawk County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Black Hawk County's poverty rate was 14.2% in 2024, 10th 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, Black Hawk County ranks 9th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Black Hawk 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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CCCS of Rochester-northeastern Iowa
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Family Management Financial Solutions, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.