In Chickasaw County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Chickasaw County, 13.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chickasaw County's score
In Chickasaw County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 25.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 6.0. About one in 10 adults aged 25 to 54 (9.8%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chickasaw 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.
Chickasaw 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.
- 25.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.2% · 202416th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.7% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability14.1% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,840 · 202416th percentile
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- 23.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.5% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people85.8 · 202528th percentile
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- 12.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.9% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.4% · second quarter of 202611th percentile
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- 7.9 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 rent9.4% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income13.4% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 6.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20267th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.8% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Chickasaw 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 Chickasaw County, 22.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chickasaw County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Chickasaw County had its largest drop, from 22.0% in 2009 to 15.8% in 2014.
In Chickasaw County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 14.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Chickasaw County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chickasaw County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.4% in 2017 to 6.7% in 2018.
The share of households in Chickasaw County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.2% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Chickasaw County, Iowa.
How Chickasaw County has changed
Chickasaw County's population fell by about a fifth to 11,719, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 15,499 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chickasaw County, Iowa.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Chickasaw County rose by about a fifth to 5,150, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 5,150 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chickasaw County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.4% | 2024 9.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,455 | 2024 $82,840 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Chickasaw County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,037. The 2020 Census counted 12,012, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
1971
A tornado in July 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in August 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chickasaw County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Chickasaw County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Chickasaw County, two score higher. Of the group, Chickasaw County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Fayette County gets the largest, at 28.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, IA | 19 | 12.9% | 28.7% |
| Floyd County, IA | 13 | 11.3% | 25.7% |
| Chickasaw County, IA | 1 | 9.2% | 14.9% |
| Howard County, IA | 1 | 9.7% | 20.7% |
| Bremer County, IA | 0 | 7.2% | 19.8% |
| Winneshiek County, IA | 0 | 8.9% | 20.7% |
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 Chickasaw County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Chickasaw County's poverty rate was 9.2% in 2024, 76th 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, Chickasaw County ranks 89th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chickasaw 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 Chickasaw 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 Chickasaw County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.