Johnson County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 34.0 | 157,528 people · 44th most distressed in Iowa
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Johnson County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 34.0 — 2698th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Iowa, it ranks 44th of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Johnson County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 77.8 — worse than roughly 78% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 77.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 98
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 98
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 77
Homeownership Rate 94
Rent-to-Income Ratio 22
Income & Poverty 35.9
Poverty Rate 65
Income vs. State Median 31
Child Poverty Rate 12
Employment & Wages 25.7
Unemployment Rate 6
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 15
Business Formation Rate 56
Debt & Delinquency 19.2
Debt in Collections 15
Medical Debt 31
Student Loan Delinquency 21
Auto Loan Delinquency 23
Credit Card Delinquency 7
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 19
Community Vulnerability 11.3
Uninsured Rate 19
Disability Rate 4

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Johnson County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Johnson County
Johnson County, IA 34.0 Healthy —
Muscatine County, IA 39.7 Normal +5.8
Linn County, IA 31.7 Healthy -2.3
Washington County, IA 31.5 Healthy -2.5
Louisa County, IA 31.0 Healthy -3.0
Cedar County, IA 28.0 Healthy -6.0
Iowa County, IA 27.7 Healthy -6.2
Benton County, IA 21.9 Healthy -12.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Johnson County
Wilson County, TN 34.1 Healthy +0.1
Buffalo County, NE 34.1 Healthy +0.1
Orange County, NC 34.1 Healthy +0.2
Ascension Parish, LA 33.8 Healthy -0.2
York County, VA 33.8 Healthy -0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Johnson County

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Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

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Iowa Legal Aid 1-800-532-1275

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Johnson County has a County Distress Index score of 34.0 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,698th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 44th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Johnson County?

    The primary driver of distress in Johnson County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 77.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Johnson County compare to neighboring counties?

    Johnson County (34.0) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Muscatine County, IA (39.7); Linn County, IA (31.7); Washington County, IA (31.5).

  • 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 Johnson County?

    Johnson County, Iowa has a population of approximately 157,528 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.