Cherokee County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 32.4 | 11,605 people · 54th most distressed in Iowa

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Cherokee County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 32.4 — 2782nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where housing remains relatively affordable compared to local incomes. Within Iowa, it ranks 54th of 99 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 6 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Cherokee County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 41.2 — above the national median.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 41.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 54
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 83
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 8
Homeownership Rate 56
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Debt & Delinquency 36.3
Debt in Collections 34
Medical Debt 24
Student Loan Delinquency 86
Auto Loan Delinquency 26
Credit Card Delinquency 34
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 15
Employment & Wages 32.9
Unemployment Rate 10
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 20
Business Formation Rate 69
Income & Poverty 29.2
Poverty Rate 20
Income vs. State Median 44
Child Poverty Rate 24
Community Vulnerability 22.4
Uninsured Rate 30
Disability Rate 15

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Cherokee County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Cherokee County
Cherokee County, IA 32.4 Healthy
Woodbury County, IA 50.8 Elevated +18.4
Buena Vista County, IA 33.9 Healthy +1.5
Clay County, IA 31.7 Healthy -0.7
O'Brien County, IA 27.3 Healthy -5.1
Ida County, IA 23.6 Healthy -8.8
Sac County, IA 21.8 Healthy -10.6
Sioux County, IA 21.0 Healthy -11.4
Plymouth County, IA 18.5 Healthy -13.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Cherokee County
Shelby County, KY 32.4 Healthy -0.0
Brown County, SD 32.4 Healthy -0.0
Buffalo County, WI 32.3 Healthy -0.1
Oneida County, WI 32.2 Healthy -0.2
Franklin County, IN 32.2 Healthy -0.2

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