In Hardin County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Hardin County, 15.4% 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 Hardin County's score
In Hardin County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 46.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 15.0. Unemployment averaged 3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hardin 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.
Hardin 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.
- 46.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 36.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,381 · 202434th percentile
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- 27.7 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 rent18.2% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.4% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 22.3 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 people66.8 · 202517th percentile
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- 15.0 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 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th 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 Hardin 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 Hardin County, 23.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hardin County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hardin County made its largest gain on the way to its 2019 high, from 18.3% in 2014 to 23.2% in 2019.
In Hardin County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Hardin County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hardin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.2% in 2011 to 8.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Hardin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 8.4%
Low on the chart: 6.7% 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, Hardin County, Iowa.
How Hardin County has changed
Hardin County's population had its largest drop, from 21,322 in 1984 to 19,214 in 1989.
Hardin County's population fell by about a quarter to 16,464, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 22,261 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hardin County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Hardin County had its largest drop, from 8,481 in 2000 to 7,483 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Hardin County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 8,481 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hardin County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.5% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,036 | 2024 $72,381 |
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 Hardin County's history
1851
Formed 1851. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 23,337. The 2020 Census counted 16,878, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Hail in August 2009 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hardin County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hardin County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Hardin County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hardin County ranks 2nd of the six; Marshall County is highest, at 27.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County, IA | 22 | 12.4% | 27.8% |
| Franklin County, IA | 16 | 11.2% | 22.3% |
| Hardin County, IA | 16 | 12.5% | 23.1% |
| Story County, IA | 9 | 15.9% | 16.1% |
| Hamilton County, IA | 7 | 8.3% | 20.8% |
| Grundy County, IA | 0 | 6.2% | 20.1% |
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 Hardin County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Hardin County's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, 25th 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, Hardin County ranks 38th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hardin 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 Hardin 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 Hardin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.