Humboldt County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 26.0 | 9,500 people · 82nd most distressed in Iowa
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Humboldt County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 26.0 — 3012th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where health coverage and disability rates are better than the national average. Within Iowa, it ranks 82nd 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. Humboldt County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 34.0 — above the national median.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 34.0
Uninsured Rate 29
Disability Rate 39
Employment & Wages 27.2
Unemployment Rate 16
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 13
Business Formation Rate 53
Income & Poverty 24.3
Poverty Rate 17
Income vs. State Median 38
Child Poverty Rate 18
Housing Cost Burden 23.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 8
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 41
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 19
Homeownership Rate 47
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Debt & Delinquency 20.8
Debt in Collections 8
Medical Debt 19
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 22
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 39

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Humboldt County
Humboldt County, IA 26.0 Healthy —
Webster County, IA 43.8 Normal +17.8
Pocahontas County, IA 34.0 Healthy +8.0
Palo Alto County, IA 30.7 Healthy +4.6
Wright County, IA 30.2 Healthy +4.2
Kossuth County, IA 28.3 Healthy +2.2
Hancock County, IA 25.5 Healthy -0.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Humboldt County
Clark County, SD 26.0 Healthy -0.0
Dunn County, ND 26.1 Healthy +0.1
Nelson County, ND 26.2 Healthy +0.1
Ness County, KS 25.9 Healthy -0.2
Stevens County, MN 25.9 Healthy -0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Humboldt 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 Humboldt County, Iowa?

    Humboldt County has a County Distress Index score of 26.0 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,012th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 82nd in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Humboldt County?

    The primary driver of distress in Humboldt County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 34.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Humboldt County compare to neighboring counties?

    Humboldt County (26.0) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Webster County, IA (43.8); Pocahontas County, IA (34.0); Palo Alto County, IA (30.7).

  • 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 Humboldt County?

    Humboldt County, Iowa has a population of approximately 9,500 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.