About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Dubuque County, Iowa, have a job
In Dubuque County, 12.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dubuque County's score
In Dubuque County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 51.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 14.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dubuque 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, Dubuque County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.7 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 rent26.4% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th percentile
-
- 34.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.3% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.4 · 202548th percentile
-
- 18.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.0% · 202430th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.7% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability11.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance3.5% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,355 · 202419th percentile
-
- 16.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.1% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
-
- 14.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202621st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.4% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
-
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 Dubuque 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 Dubuque County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dubuque County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dubuque County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Dubuque County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dubuque County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (7.0% in 2009) to 7.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Dubuque County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 7.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dubuque County, Iowa.
How Dubuque County has changed
Dubuque County's population had its largest rise, from 92,948 in 2009 to 97,253 in 2014.
Dubuque County's population rose 10% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 99,242 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dubuque County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Dubuque County had its largest rise, from 43,497 in 1990 to 48,610 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Dubuque County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 57,730
High on the chart: 58,196 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dubuque County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.7% | 2024 11.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,392 | 2024 $80,355 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Dubuque County's history
1788
Lead mining pioneer Julien Dubuque received permission in 1788 to mine rich lead deposits. Wikipedia
1982
1980s farm crisis caused 23% unemployment in one month of 1982, the highest in the nation. Wikipedia
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in May 1999 did $16 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $6.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in July 2011 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 99,266, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dubuque County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dubuque County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Dubuque County, in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dubuque County ranks 6th of the seven; Jackson County is highest, at 25.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, IA | 15 | 11.0% | 25.7% |
| Dubuque County, IA | 12 | 11.0% | 19.4% |
| Jones County, IA | 11 | 12.0% | 22.4% |
| Grant County, WI | 9 | 11.9% | 24.0% |
| Jo Daviess County, IL | 8 | 9.8% | 23.6% |
| Clayton County, IA | 7 | 9.7% | 23.8% |
| Delaware County, IA | 2 | 8.5% | 19.4% |
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 Dubuque County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Dubuque County's poverty rate was 11.0% in 2024, 48th 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, Dubuque County ranks 48th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dubuque 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.
-
Iowa Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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 Dubuque 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 Dubuque County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.