Unemployment in Decatur County, Iowa, is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties
In Decatur County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Decatur County's score
In Decatur County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 67.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 15.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Decatur 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.
Even so, Decatur County is worse off than most counties on children below the poverty line (25.7%, 2024) and people below the poverty line (18.1%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.1% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.7% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,186 · 202480th percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.8% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people117.4 · 202545th percentile
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- 28.6 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 rent11.6% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
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- 25.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.2% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.6% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 15.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th 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 Decatur 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 Decatur County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Decatur County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Decatur County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Decatur County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Decatur County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2018 to 2019, reaching 14.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Decatur County, Iowa.
How Decatur County has changed
Decatur County's population fell by about a quarter to 7,656, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1979 to 1984, reaching 9,097. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Decatur County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Decatur County rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 2,142 in 2010 to 2,338 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Decatur County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 2,369 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Decatur County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.1% | 2024 18.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,820 | 2024 $56,186 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Decatur County's history
1846
January 13, 1846 (created) May 6, 1850 (organized). Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,115. The 2020 Census counted 7,645, 42% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in April 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Decatur County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Decatur County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Decatur County, in Iowa and Missouri, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Decatur County ranks 3rd of the six; Harrison County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County, MO | 51 | 15.9% | 36.0% |
| Mercer County, MO | 32 | 13.7% | 35.0% |
| Decatur County, IA | 26 | 18.1% | 33.0% |
| Wayne County, IA | 19 | 12.9% | 26.4% |
| Clarke County, IA | 12 | 10.9% | 26.0% |
| Ringgold County, IA | 10 | 13.3% | 30.6% |
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 Decatur County the poorest county in Iowa?
Yes, Decatur County's poverty rate was 18.1% in 2024, the highest of 99 counties in Iowa (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Decatur County ranks 16th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Decatur 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 Decatur 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 Decatur County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.