About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Hancock County, Iowa, have a job
In Hancock County, 11.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hancock County's score
In Hancock County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 38.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hancock 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.
Hancock 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.
- 38.6 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 rent21.1% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.4% · fiscal year 20279th percentile
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- 27.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.4% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.1% · 202418th percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,667 · 202447th percentile
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- 14.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.9% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people65.9 · 202517th percentile
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- 11.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.5% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 9.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.6% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County, 23.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hancock County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hancock County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Hancock County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.9% in 2009 to 8.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Hancock County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 5.6% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hancock County, Iowa.
How Hancock County has changed
Hancock County's population had its largest drop, from 12,832 in 1989 to 12,073 in 1994.
Hancock County's population fell by about a fifth to 10,616, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 13,768 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hancock County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County had its largest rise, from 3,826 in 1995 to 7,124 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 7,124 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hancock County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.1% | 2024 9.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,356 | 2024 $67,667 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Hancock County's history
1851
Founded January 15, 1851. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 15,402. The 2020 Census counted 10,795, 70% of the peak. Census Bureau
1967
A tornado in April 1967 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in September 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1991
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hancock County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hancock County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Hancock County, three score higher. Of the group, Hancock County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Winnebago County gets the largest, at 26.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright County, IA | 17 | 10.8% | 25.0% |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | 8 | 10.4% | 20.1% |
| Winnebago County, IA | 8 | 10.4% | 26.3% |
| Hancock County, IA | 5 | 9.4% | 20.1% |
| Kossuth County, IA | 3 | 8.9% | 23.2% |
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 Hancock County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Hancock County's poverty rate was 9.4% in 2024, 73rd 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, Hancock County ranks 71st of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hancock 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.