In Franklin County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Franklin County, 15.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin County's score
In Franklin County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 44.7. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 6.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Franklin 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.
Franklin 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.
- 44.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.0% · second quarter of 202619th percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.3% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 40.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.4% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability12.4% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance10.0% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,711 · 202436th percentile
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- 15.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.0% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people30.4 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 6.7 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 rent8.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.5% · fiscal year 20275th or lower 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Franklin County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Franklin County made its largest gain on the way to its 2019 high, from 17.0% in 2014 to 22.3% in 2019.
In Franklin County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Franklin County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.4% in 2013 to 14.2% in 2014.
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.7% 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, Franklin County, Iowa.
How Franklin County has changed
Franklin County's population fell by about a quarter to 10,024, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 11,398. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Franklin County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County had its largest rise, from 3,346 in 1990 to 3,576 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County rose 16% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 3,983 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Franklin County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.1% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,043 | 2024 $71,711 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Franklin County's history
1851
January 15, 1851 (created) March 3, 1856(organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 16,382. The 2020 Census counted 10,019, 61% of the peak. Census Bureau
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Winnebago Industries Fiberglass division plant moved from Hampton to Forest City in 2008. Wikipedia
2014
A flash flood in June 2014 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Franklin County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Franklin County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Franklin County ranks 4th of the five; Wright County is highest, at 25.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright County, IA | 17 | 10.8% | 25.0% |
| Franklin County, IA | 16 | 11.2% | 22.3% |
| Hardin County, IA | 16 | 12.5% | 23.1% |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | 8 | 10.4% | 20.1% |
| Butler County, IA | 3 | 8.8% | 24.6% |
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 Franklin County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 44th 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, Franklin County ranks 37th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.