Unemployment in Calhoun County, Iowa, is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Calhoun County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Calhoun County's score
In Calhoun County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 42.6. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 14.2. Bankruptcy filings ran at 10.2 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Calhoun 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.
Calhoun County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 42.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.9% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,385 · 202462nd percentile
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- 28.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.3% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 20.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 18.1 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 rent11.4% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
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- 14.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.2% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people10.2 · 20255th or lower 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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Calhoun County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Calhoun County rose most in three steps: 12.5% in 1979 to 16.4% in 1984; 19.3% in 2004 to 23.2% in 2009; 19.4% in 2014 to 23.3% in 2019.
In Calhoun County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Calhoun County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Calhoun County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.9% in 2017 to 9.4% in 2018.
The share of households in Calhoun County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.5% 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, Calhoun County, Iowa.
How Calhoun County has changed
Calhoun County's population had its largest drop, from 12,758 in 1984 to 11,598 in 1989.
Calhoun County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 9,711
High on the chart: 14,783 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Calhoun County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Calhoun County had its largest rise, from 3,043 in 1990 to 3,342 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Calhoun County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 3,342 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Calhoun County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.4% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,154 | 2024 $62,385 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Calhoun County's history
1851
January 15, 1851 (created) November 7, 1855 (organized). Wikipedia
1893
F5 tornado destroyed Pomeroy, 71 killed, 200 injured. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,569. The 2020 Census counted 9,927, 53% of the peak. Census Bureau
1954
A tornado in June 1954 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
A tornado in June 1979 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in April 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1979
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Calhoun County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Calhoun County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Calhoun County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Calhoun County ranks 2nd of the six; Greene County is highest, at 27.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, IA | 24 | 13.1% | 25.5% |
| Greene County, IA | 24 | 11.3% | 27.2% |
| Pocahontas County, IA | 21 | 11.0% | 25.5% |
| Calhoun County, IA | 10 | 13.3% | 25.8% |
| Sac County, IA | 3 | 11.5% | 21.5% |
| 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 Calhoun County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Calhoun County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 17th 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, Calhoun County ranks 60th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Calhoun 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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.