About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Cass County, Iowa, have a job
In Cass County, 13.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cass County's score
In Cass County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 55.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 12.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cass 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, Cass County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 55.1 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 rent27.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th percentile
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- 49.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.8% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
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- 37.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.3% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,671 · 202459th percentile
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- 21.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.4% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.2 · 202522nd percentile
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- 12.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.8% · 2020 to 202411th 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 Cass 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 Cass County, 23.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cass County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cass County had its largest rise, from 19.5% in 2004 to 24.8% in 2009.
In Cass County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Cass County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cass County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.5% in 2014 to 14.5% in 2015.
The share of households in Cass County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 11.4% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cass County, Iowa.
How Cass County has changed
Cass County's population fell by about a quarter to 13,024, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 15,225. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cass County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Cass County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 6,240 in 2015 to 5,643 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Cass County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 6,386 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cass County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,753 | 2024 $63,671 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Cass County's history
1851
The county was established within its present boundaries in 1851 and originated in 1853. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 21,274. The 2020 Census counted 13,127, 62% of the peak. Census Bureau
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A thunderstorm in June 1997 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in June 1998 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in May 2007 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cass County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cass County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cass County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cass County ranks 4th of the seven; Montgomery County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, IA | 50 | 14.6% | 32.5% |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 46 | 13.9% | 27.1% |
| Cass County, IA | 24 | 11.6% | 26.2% |
| Audubon County, IA | 18 | 11.0% | 23.6% |
| Adams County, IA | 13 | 12.1% | 27.8% |
| Adair County, IA | 11 | 10.2% | 24.0% |
| Shelby County, IA | 6 | 8.2% | 23.9% |
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 Cass County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Cass County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 35th 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, Cass County ranks 19th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cass 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.
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 Cass County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.