In Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Cerro Gordo County, 15.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cerro Gordo County's score
In Cerro Gordo County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 30.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 15.3. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (13.5%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cerro Gordo 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.
Cerro Gordo 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.
- 30.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.8% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people82.5 · 202526th percentile
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- 27.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.9% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
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- 26.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.9% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability14.5% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance4.5% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,937 · 202431st percentile
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- 17.3 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 rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.1% · fiscal year 20273rd percentile
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- 15.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202620th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.5% · 2020 to 202410th 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 Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County, 23.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cerro Gordo County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cerro Gordo County had its largest rise, from 15.8% in 2004 to 21.1% in 2009.
In Cerro Gordo County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cerro Gordo County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (7.9% in 2009) to 9.6% in 2010.
The share of households in Cerro Gordo County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.9% 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, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa.
How Cerro Gordo County has changed
Cerro Gordo County's population had its largest drop, from 46,637 in 1999 to 44,993 in 2004.
Cerro Gordo County's population fell 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 49,652 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Cerro Gordo County had its largest drop, from 26,850 in 2005 to 24,193 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Cerro Gordo County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 26,850 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.4% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,649 | 2024 $73,937 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Cerro Gordo County's history
1851
Formed in 1851; the first white settlers came into the area in 1851 and settled on Clear Lake. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 49,894. The 2020 Census counted 43,127, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A thunderstorm in July 1991 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in July 1999 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cerro Gordo County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cerro Gordo County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cerro Gordo County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cerro Gordo County ranks 4th of the six; Floyd County is highest, at 25.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, IA | 16 | 11.2% | 22.3% |
| Floyd County, IA | 13 | 11.3% | 25.7% |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | 8 | 10.4% | 20.1% |
| Hancock County, IA | 5 | 9.4% | 20.1% |
| Worth County, IA | 3 | 10.0% | 23.3% |
| Mitchell County, IA | 1 | 10.4% | 13.9% |
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 Cerro Gordo County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Cerro Gordo County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 58th 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, Cerro Gordo County ranks 63rd of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.