In Humboldt County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Humboldt County, 14.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Humboldt County's score
In Humboldt County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 37.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 17.4. Unemployment averaged 3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Humboldt 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.
Humboldt 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.
- 37.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.5% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,434 · 202428th percentile
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- 31.5 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 rent19.5% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.8% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 23.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.9% · August 20257th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people105.3 · 202538th percentile
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- 20.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.1% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.3% · second quarter of 202634th percentile
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- 17.4 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 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.2% · 2020 to 202422nd 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 Humboldt 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 Humboldt County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Humboldt County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Humboldt County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Humboldt County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Humboldt County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2013 to 10.0% in 2014.
The share of households in Humboldt County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.3%
High on the chart: 11.6% 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, Humboldt County, Iowa.
How Humboldt County has changed
Humboldt County's population had its largest drop, from 11,829 in 1984 to 10,761 in 1989.
Humboldt County's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 9,617
High on the chart: 12,624 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Humboldt County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Humboldt County rose most sharply from its first year (3,229 in 1990) to 3,733 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Humboldt County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 4,064 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Humboldt County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.9% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,606 | 2024 $75,434 |
The table uses 3.2% 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 Humboldt County's history
1851
January 15, 1851 (created) February 26, 1857 (re-created). Wikipedia
1872
Humboldt College opened in 1872, closed in 1916. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 13,459. The 2020 Census counted 9,597, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A tornado in May 2004 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Humboldt County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Humboldt County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Humboldt County, three score higher. Of the group, Humboldt County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Webster County gets the largest, at 25.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, IA | 24 | 13.1% | 25.5% |
| Pocahontas County, IA | 21 | 11.0% | 25.5% |
| Wright County, IA | 17 | 10.8% | 25.0% |
| Humboldt County, IA | 11 | 11.2% | 23.0% |
| 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 Humboldt County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Humboldt County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 44th 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, Humboldt County ranks 51st of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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 Humboldt County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.