Henry County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Normal · 40.9 | 19,547 people · 24th most distressed in Iowa
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Henry County, IA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 40.9 — 2296th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Iowa, it ranks 24th 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. Henry County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 50.5 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 50.5
Unemployment Rate 41
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 17
Business Formation Rate 93
Housing Cost Burden 49.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 58
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 69
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 56
Homeownership Rate 52
Rent-to-Income Ratio 13
Income & Poverty 48.1
Poverty Rate 43
Income vs. State Median 62
Child Poverty Rate 40
Debt & Delinquency 29.4
Debt in Collections 33
Medical Debt 49
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 40
Credit Card Delinquency 20
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 29
Community Vulnerability 27.2
Uninsured Rate 12
Disability Rate 42

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Henry County
Henry County, IA 40.9 Normal —
Des Moines County, IA 58.5 Elevated +17.6
Jefferson County, IA 50.2 Elevated +9.3
Van Buren County, IA 49.7 Normal +8.8
Lee County, IA 49.4 Normal +8.5
Washington County, IA 31.5 Healthy -9.4
Louisa County, IA 31.0 Healthy -9.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Henry County
Latah County, ID 40.9 Normal +0.0
Grant County, AR 40.9 Normal -0.0
Skamania County, WA 40.9 Normal +0.0
Lewis County, NY 41.0 Normal +0.0
Jersey County, IL 40.9 Normal -0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Henry 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 Henry County, Iowa?

    Henry County has a County Distress Index score of 40.9 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,296th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 24th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Henry County?

    The primary driver of distress in Henry County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 50.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Henry County compare to neighboring counties?

    Henry County (40.9) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Des Moines County, IA (58.5); Jefferson County, IA (50.2); Van Buren County, IA (49.7).

  • 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 Henry County?

    Henry County, Iowa has a population of approximately 19,547 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.