Butler County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 22.1 | 14,172 people · 90th most distressed in Iowa

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Butler County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 22.1 — 3087th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Iowa, it ranks 90th of 99 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Butler County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 46.4 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 46.4
Unemployment Rate 55
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 12
Business Formation Rate 72
Housing Cost Burden 23.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 16
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 36
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 42
Homeownership Rate 19
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Income & Poverty 16.7
Poverty Rate 7
Income vs. State Median 35
Child Poverty Rate 8
Debt & Delinquency 13.9
Debt in Collections 14
Medical Debt 21
Student Loan Delinquency 10
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 28
Community Vulnerability 9.7
Uninsured Rate 6
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 Butler County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Butler County
Butler County, IA 22.1 Healthy
Black Hawk County, IA 45.0 Normal +22.9
Floyd County, IA 35.8 Normal +13.8
Franklin County, IA 34.3 Healthy +12.3
Hardin County, IA 33.5 Healthy +11.4
Cerro Gordo County, IA 33.5 Healthy +11.4
Chickasaw County, IA 26.0 Healthy +4.0
Bremer County, IA 20.6 Healthy -1.4
Grundy County, IA 18.4 Healthy -3.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Butler County
Benton County, IA 21.9 Healthy -0.1
Monroe County, IL 22.2 Healthy +0.2
Mercer County, OH 21.8 Healthy -0.3
Saunders County, NE 22.5 Healthy +0.5
Putnam County, OH 22.5 Healthy +0.5

Download Data

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

Find Help in Butler County

Find an Attorney

Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Butler County residents at no cost.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.