Bremer County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 20.6 | 25,307 people · 94th most distressed in Iowa
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Bremer County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 20.6 — 3110th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Iowa, it ranks 94th of 99 counties. It scores lower than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bremer County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 45.3 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 45.3
Unemployment Rate 23
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 24
Business Formation Rate 89
Housing Cost Burden 26.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 20
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 31
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 62
Homeownership Rate 16
Rent-to-Income Ratio 2
Debt & Delinquency 14.2
Debt in Collections 4
Medical Debt 20
Student Loan Delinquency 6
Auto Loan Delinquency 14
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 36
Income & Poverty 10.0
Poverty Rate 6
Income vs. State Median 21
Child Poverty Rate 2
Community Vulnerability 7.7
Uninsured Rate 0
Disability Rate 15

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Bremer County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bremer County
Bremer County, IA 20.6 Healthy —
Black Hawk County, IA 45.0 Normal +24.4
Fayette County, IA 43.5 Normal +22.9
Floyd County, IA 35.8 Normal +15.2
Buchanan County, IA 27.1 Healthy +6.4
Chickasaw County, IA 26.0 Healthy +5.4
Butler County, IA 22.1 Healthy +1.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bremer County
Botetourt County, VA 20.8 Healthy +0.1
Iowa County, WI 20.8 Healthy +0.2
Sioux County, IA 21.0 Healthy +0.4
Summit County, UT 21.1 Healthy +0.5
Osage County, MO 19.8 Healthy -0.8

Download Data

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

Find Help in Bremer County

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Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

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Iowa Legal Aid 1-800-532-1275

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Bremer County has a County Distress Index score of 20.6 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,110th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 94th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bremer County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bremer County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 45.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Bremer County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bremer County (20.6) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Black Hawk County, IA (45.0); Fayette County, IA (43.5); Floyd County, IA (35.8).

  • 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 Bremer County?

    Bremer County, Iowa has a population of approximately 25,307 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.