Kossuth County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 28.3 | 14,396 people · 71st most distressed in Iowa
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Kossuth County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 28.3 — 2948th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where household incomes are relatively strong and poverty rates are low. Within Iowa, it ranks 71st of 99 counties. Among its 9 neighboring counties, 7 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Kossuth County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 33.6 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 33.6
Poverty Rate 22
Income vs. State Median 58
Child Poverty Rate 21
Housing Cost Burden 33.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 30
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 58
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 24
Homeownership Rate 45
Rent-to-Income Ratio 9
Employment & Wages 29.4
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 13
Business Formation Rate 68
Debt & Delinquency 23.9
Debt in Collections 15
Medical Debt 25
Student Loan Delinquency 34
Auto Loan Delinquency 40
Credit Card Delinquency 17
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 12
Community Vulnerability 21.0
Uninsured Rate 7
Disability Rate 35

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Kossuth County compares to its 9 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Kossuth County
Kossuth County, IA 28.3 Healthy —
Martin County, MN 45.4 Normal +17.1
Faribault County, MN 40.2 Normal +12.0
Emmet County, IA 39.7 Normal +11.4
Pocahontas County, IA 34.0 Healthy +5.8
Winnebago County, IA 33.5 Healthy +5.2
Palo Alto County, IA 30.7 Healthy +2.4
Wright County, IA 30.2 Healthy +2.0
Humboldt County, IA 26.0 Healthy -2.2
Hancock County, IA 25.5 Healthy -2.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Kossuth County
McKenzie County, ND 28.3 Healthy 0.0
Lake County, SD 28.3 Healthy +0.0
Morton County, ND 28.2 Healthy -0.0
Dickinson County, IA 28.3 Healthy +0.1
Shelby County, IA 28.4 Healthy +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Kossuth 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 Kossuth County, Iowa?

    Kossuth County has a County Distress Index score of 28.3 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,948th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 71st in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Kossuth County?

    The primary driver of distress in Kossuth County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 33.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Kossuth County compare to neighboring counties?

    Kossuth County (28.3) can be compared to its 9 neighboring counties: Martin County, MN (45.4); Faribault County, MN (40.2); Emmet County, IA (39.7).

  • 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 Kossuth County?

    Kossuth County, Iowa has a population of approximately 14,396 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.