Hamilton County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 26.0 | 14,729 people · 83rd most distressed in Iowa

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Hamilton County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 26.0 — 3014th 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 83rd 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. Hamilton County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 33.9 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 33.9
Unemployment Rate 5
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 26
Business Formation Rate 71
Housing Cost Burden 31.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 20
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 46
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 29
Homeownership Rate 53
Rent-to-Income Ratio 9
Debt & Delinquency 25.2
Debt in Collections 23
Medical Debt 29
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 41
Credit Card Delinquency 13
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 40
Income & Poverty 21.8
Poverty Rate 10
Income vs. State Median 39
Child Poverty Rate 16
Community Vulnerability 17.6
Uninsured Rate 11
Disability Rate 24

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Hamilton County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Hamilton County
Hamilton County, IA 26.0 Healthy
Webster County, IA 43.8 Normal +17.8
Story County, IA 34.7 Healthy +8.7
Franklin County, IA 34.3 Healthy +8.4
Hardin County, IA 33.5 Healthy +7.5
Wright County, IA 30.2 Healthy +4.2
Boone County, IA 23.2 Healthy -2.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Hamilton County
Kewaunee County, WI 26.0 Healthy +0.0
Chickasaw County, IA 26.0 Healthy +0.0
Falls Church city, VA 25.9 Healthy -0.1
Douglas County, MN 25.9 Healthy -0.1
Green County, WI 26.2 Healthy +0.2

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