Guthrie County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 28.0 | 10,722 people · 74th most distressed in Iowa
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Guthrie County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 28.0 — 2955th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Iowa, it ranks 74th of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Guthrie County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 50.9 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 50.9
Unemployment Rate 34
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 77
Business Formation Rate 42
Housing Cost Burden 37.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 43
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 73
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 22
Homeownership Rate 6
Rent-to-Income Ratio 42
Debt & Delinquency 22.1
Debt in Collections 10
Medical Debt 42
Student Loan Delinquency 15
Auto Loan Delinquency 11
Credit Card Delinquency 7
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 47
Income & Poverty 21.9
Poverty Rate 20
Income vs. State Median 23
Child Poverty Rate 23
Community Vulnerability 7.8
Uninsured Rate 5
Disability Rate 11

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Guthrie County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Guthrie County
Guthrie County, IA 28.0 Healthy —
Cass County, IA 46.0 Normal +18.1
Greene County, IA 39.6 Normal +11.7
Audubon County, IA 33.7 Healthy +5.7
Adair County, IA 31.1 Healthy +3.1
Madison County, IA 29.6 Healthy +1.6
Carroll County, IA 26.6 Healthy -1.4
Dallas County, IA 19.1 Healthy -8.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Guthrie County
Wabasha County, MN 28.0 Healthy 0.0
Cedar County, IA 28.0 Healthy +0.0
Delaware County, IA 28.0 Healthy +0.0
Roseau County, MN 27.8 Healthy -0.2
Morton County, ND 28.2 Healthy +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Guthrie County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Guthrie County

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Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

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Iowa Legal Aid 1-800-532-1275

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Guthrie County, Iowa?

    Guthrie County has a County Distress Index score of 28.0 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,955th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 74th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Guthrie County?

    The primary driver of distress in Guthrie County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 50.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Guthrie County compare to neighboring counties?

    Guthrie County (28.0) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Cass County, IA (46.0); Greene County, IA (39.6); Audubon County, IA (33.7).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Guthrie County?

    Guthrie County, Iowa has a population of approximately 10,722 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.