About one in seven people in Des Moines County, Iowa, lives below the poverty line
In Des Moines County, 14.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 56% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Des Moines County's score
In Des Moines County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 68.5. About three in ten renters (27.7%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 61.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Des Moines 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.
Des Moines County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.9%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (17.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent27.7% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
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- 61.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.2% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
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- 60.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.7% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167.3 · 202565th percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.0% · 202456th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.1% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,796 · 202452nd percentile
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- 37.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.2% · 2020 to 202428th 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Des Moines County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Des Moines County rose most from 16.3% in 1999 to 23.7% in 2009, 3.7 points each step.
In Des Moines County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 25.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Des Moines County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.5%; 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 Des Moines County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Biggest drop: 2022 to 2023, reaching 12.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Des Moines County, Iowa.
How Des Moines County has changed
Des Moines County's population fell by about a fifth to 38,411, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1999 to 2004, reaching 40,562. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Des Moines County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Des Moines County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 22,875 in 2015 to 19,900 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Des Moines County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 24,201 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Des Moines County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 14.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,813 | 2024 $65,796 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Des Moines County's history
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 46,982. The 2020 Census counted 38,910, 83% of the peak. Census Bureau
1983
A tornado in June 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Hail in May 2003 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $3.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in May 2010 did $3.95 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Des Moines County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Des Moines County beside its neighbors
Des Moines County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Iowa and Illinois. For the share of income from benefit checks, Des Moines County ranks 4th of the six; Lee County is highest, at 30.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines County, IA | 57 | 14.0% | 25.5% |
| Henderson County, IL | 47 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Lee County, IA | 38 | 13.7% | 30.2% |
| Henry County, IA | 17 | 12.9% | 26.8% |
| Louisa County, IA | 15 | 9.5% | 24.2% |
| Mercer County, IL | 14 | 9.1% | 24.4% |
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 Des Moines County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Des Moines County's poverty rate was 14.0% in 2024, 11th 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, Des Moines County ranks 2nd of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.