About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Clarke County, Iowa, have a job
In Clarke County, 12.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clarke County's score
In Clarke County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 44.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 10.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clarke 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.
Clarke 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.
- 44.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.6% · second quarter of 202647th percentile
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- 39.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability17.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,642 · 202444th percentile
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- 29.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people52.1 · 202510th percentile
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- 11.0 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 rent9.8% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.5% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 10.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.9% · 2020 to 20248th 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 Clarke 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 Clarke County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clarke County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Clarke County had its largest rise, from 19.2% in 2004 to 24.9% in 2009.
In Clarke County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Clarke County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clarke County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.4% in 2022 to 13.1% in 2023.
The share of households in Clarke County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen to 11.5%
Low on the chart: 5.7% 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, Clarke County, Iowa.
How Clarke County has changed
Clarke County's population had its largest rise, from 7,838 in 1974 to 8,450 in 1979.
Clarke County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 9,524
High on the chart: 9,714 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clarke County, Iowa.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Clarke County rose by about half to 4,770, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 4,770 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clarke County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.5% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,097 | 2024 $68,642 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Clarke County's history
1846
Formed in January 1846, one of twelve counties established by legislative action in a comprehensive act. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 12,440. The 2020 Census counted 9,748, 78% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
Extreme drought forced bottled water use and school water shutoff. Wikipedia
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Since 1969
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clarke County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clarke County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Clarke County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clarke County ranks 4th of the six; Decatur County is highest, at 33.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, IA | 34 | 13.4% | 32.4% |
| Lucas County, IA | 32 | 14.3% | 28.0% |
| Decatur County, IA | 26 | 18.1% | 33.0% |
| Clarke County, IA | 12 | 10.9% | 26.0% |
| Madison County, IA | 4 | 6.4% | 18.7% |
| Warren County, IA | 3 | 6.6% | 16.9% |
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 Clarke County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Clarke County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 52nd 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, Clarke County ranks 49th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clarke 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 Clarke 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 Clarke County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.