Cass County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Normal · 46.0 | 13,130 people · 13th most distressed in Iowa
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Cass County, IA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 46.0 — 1896th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where income and poverty levels indicate moderate economic strain. Within Iowa, it ranks 13th of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Cass County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 64.8 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 64.8
Poverty Rate 60
Income vs. State Median 81
Child Poverty Rate 53
Housing Cost Burden 57.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 84
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 95
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 22
Homeownership Rate 61
Rent-to-Income Ratio 24
Employment & Wages 49.3
Unemployment Rate 27
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 26
Business Formation Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 35.2
Debt in Collections 21
Medical Debt 31
Student Loan Delinquency 25
Auto Loan Delinquency 62
Credit Card Delinquency 49
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 23
Community Vulnerability 24.0
Uninsured Rate 10
Disability Rate 38

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Cass County
Cass County, IA 46.0 Normal —
Pottawattamie County, IA 50.0 Elevated +4.0
Montgomery County, IA 46.6 Normal +0.5
Adams County, IA 33.8 Healthy -12.3
Audubon County, IA 33.7 Healthy -12.3
Adair County, IA 31.1 Healthy -15.0
Shelby County, IA 28.4 Healthy -17.6
Guthrie County, IA 28.0 Healthy -18.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Cass County
Huntingdon County, PA 46.0 Normal -0.0
Morgan County, GA 46.0 Normal -0.1
Clinton County, OH 46.0 Normal -0.1
Brown County, IN 46.1 Normal +0.1
Marshall County, KY 46.2 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Cass County

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

Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

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Legal aid organizations serving Cass County residents at no cost.

Iowa Legal Aid 1-800-532-1275

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Cass County has a County Distress Index score of 46.0 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,896th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 13th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Cass County?

    The primary driver of distress in Cass County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 64.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Cass County compare to neighboring counties?

    Cass County (46.0) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Pottawattamie County, IA (50.0); Montgomery County, IA (46.6); Adams County, IA (33.8).

  • 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 Cass County?

    Cass County, Iowa has a population of approximately 13,130 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.