In Crawford County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Crawford County, 15.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Crawford County's score
In Crawford County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 45.1. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crawford 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.
Crawford 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.
- 45.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.4% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability17.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,773 · 202439th percentile
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- 43.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.2% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
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- 37.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.8% · second quarter of 202632nd percentile
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- 25.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.1% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.4 · 202515th percentile
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- 16.2 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 rent13.9% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.7% · fiscal year 20275th 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County, 18.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crawford County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Crawford County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Crawford County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 7.3% in 2023 to 10.5% in 2024.
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 10.5%
Low on the chart: 7.3% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Crawford County, Iowa.
How Crawford County has changed
Crawford County's population fell 15% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 19,286 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crawford County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Crawford County had its largest drop, from 7,300 in 2015 to 6,530 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Crawford County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 7,522 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crawford County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.0% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,463 | 2024 $70,773 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Crawford County's history
1851
January 15, 1851 (created) September 3, 1855 (organized). Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 21,685. The 2020 Census counted 16,525, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1991
A tornado in April 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in June 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in June 1996 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crawford County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crawford County beside its neighbors
Crawford County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Crawford County ranks 4th of the seven; Monona County is highest, at 28.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford County, IA | 22 | 11.7% | 23.4% |
| Monona County, IA | 20 | 11.1% | 28.0% |
| Harrison County, IA | 11 | 7.6% | 25.0% |
| Shelby County, IA | 6 | 8.2% | 23.9% |
| Sac County, IA | 3 | 11.5% | 21.5% |
| Ida County, IA | 2 | 10.6% | 21.1% |
| Carroll County, IA | 0 | 8.0% | 21.1% |
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 Crawford County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Crawford County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 33rd 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, Crawford County ranks 24th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crawford 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.