Delaware County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 28.0 | 17,600 people · 73rd most distressed in Iowa

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Delaware County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 28.0 — 2954th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where the job market is relatively stable with wages that keep pace with costs. Within Iowa, it ranks 73rd of 99 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Delaware County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 41.5 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 41.5
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 12
Business Formation Rate 82
Housing Cost Burden 40.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 62
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 89
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 35
Homeownership Rate 9
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Community Vulnerability 26.7
Uninsured Rate 8
Disability Rate 45
Income & Poverty 22.6
Poverty Rate 11
Income vs. State Median 47
Child Poverty Rate 10
Debt & Delinquency 8.9
Debt in Collections 5
Medical Debt 18
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 5
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 Delaware County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Delaware County
Delaware County, IA 28.0 Healthy
Fayette County, IA 43.5 Normal +15.5
Clayton County, IA 39.5 Normal +11.5
Linn County, IA 31.7 Healthy +3.7
Dubuque County, IA 31.5 Healthy +3.5
Jones County, IA 28.9 Healthy +0.8
Buchanan County, IA 27.1 Healthy -0.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Delaware County
Cedar County, IA 28.0 Healthy 0.0
Guthrie County, IA 28.0 Healthy -0.0
Wabasha County, MN 28.0 Healthy -0.0
Morton County, ND 28.2 Healthy +0.2
Kossuth County, IA 28.3 Healthy +0.3

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