Harrison County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Normal · 36.1 | 14,670 people · 35th most distressed in Iowa
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Harrison County, IA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 36.1 — 2582nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Iowa, it ranks 35th of 99 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Harrison County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 52.3 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 52.3
Unemployment Rate 10
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 87
Business Formation Rate 59
Housing Cost Burden 46.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 29
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 45
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 38
Homeownership Rate 36
Rent-to-Income Ratio 85
Income & Poverty 36.8
Poverty Rate 19
Income vs. State Median 70
Child Poverty Rate 22
Debt & Delinquency 30.9
Debt in Collections 29
Medical Debt 26
Student Loan Delinquency 15
Auto Loan Delinquency 12
Credit Card Delinquency 53
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 52
Community Vulnerability 14.0
Uninsured Rate 10
Disability Rate 18

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Harrison County
Harrison County, IA 36.1 Normal —
Pottawattamie County, IA 50.0 Elevated +13.9
Crawford County, IA 43.2 Normal +7.1
Monona County, IA 38.5 Normal +2.4
Burt County, NE 38.1 Normal +2.0
Shelby County, IA 28.4 Healthy -7.7
Washington County, NE 23.9 Healthy -12.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Harrison County
Blanco County, TX 36.1 Normal +0.0
Chaffee County, CO 36.0 Normal -0.1
Sagadahoc County, ME 36.2 Normal +0.1
Dunn County, WI 35.9 Normal -0.2
King William County, VA 35.9 Normal -0.2

Download Data

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

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Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Harrison County has a County Distress Index score of 36.1 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,582nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 35th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Harrison County?

    The primary driver of distress in Harrison County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 52.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Harrison County compare to neighboring counties?

    Harrison County (36.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Pottawattamie County, IA (50.0); Crawford County, IA (43.2); Monona County, IA (38.5).

  • 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 Harrison County?

    Harrison County, Iowa has a population of approximately 14,670 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.