Crawford County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Normal · 43.2 | 16,013 people · 20th most distressed in Iowa
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Crawford County, IA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 43.2 — 2133rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Iowa, it ranks 20th of 99 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 7 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Crawford County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 53.0 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 53.0
Unemployment Rate 83
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 12
Business Formation Rate 64
Community Vulnerability 52.0
Uninsured Rate 55
Disability Rate 49
Income & Poverty 41.5
Poverty Rate 31
Income vs. State Median 66
Child Poverty Rate 28
Housing Cost Burden 38.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 33
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 71
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 52
Homeownership Rate 25
Rent-to-Income Ratio 13
Debt & Delinquency 30.9
Debt in Collections 36
Medical Debt 21
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 33
Credit Card Delinquency 47
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 16

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Crawford County
Crawford County, IA 43.2 Normal —
Woodbury County, IA 50.8 Elevated +7.6
Monona County, IA 38.5 Normal -4.7
Harrison County, IA 36.1 Normal -7.1
Audubon County, IA 33.7 Healthy -9.5
Shelby County, IA 28.4 Healthy -14.8
Carroll County, IA 26.6 Healthy -16.6
Ida County, IA 23.6 Healthy -19.6
Sac County, IA 21.8 Healthy -21.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Crawford County
Juneau County, WI 43.2 Normal +0.0
Rush County, IN 43.2 Normal -0.0
Todd County, MN 43.2 Normal -0.0
Nobles County, MN 43.2 Normal -0.1
Dickinson County, MI 43.3 Normal +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Crawford County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Crawford County

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Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Crawford County, Iowa?

    Crawford County has a County Distress Index score of 43.2 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,133rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 20th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Crawford County?

    The primary driver of distress in Crawford County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 53.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Crawford County compare to neighboring counties?

    Crawford County (43.2) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Woodbury County, IA (50.8); Monona County, IA (38.5); Harrison County, IA (36.1).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Crawford County?

    Crawford County, Iowa has a population of approximately 16,013 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.