In Lee County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Lee County, 18.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lee County's score
In Lee County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 49.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 34.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lee 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.
Lee 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.
- 49.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.6% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability16.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,479 · 202459th percentile
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- 49.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.5% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people113.6 · 202543rd percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.9% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 40.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202633rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.2% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 34.8 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 rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th 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 Lee 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 Lee County, 22.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lee County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lee County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Lee County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 15.4% in 2019 to 13.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Lee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 11.8% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lee County, Iowa.
How Lee County has changed
Lee County's population had its largest drop, from 41,567 in 1984 to 38,882 in 1989.
Lee County's population fell by about a quarter to 32,376, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 43,362 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lee County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Lee County had its largest drop, from 17,323 in 2015 to 14,465 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Lee County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 18,333 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lee County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,618 | 2024 $63,479 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Lee County's history
1836
Formed December 7, 1836, under the jurisdiction of Wisconsin Territory. Wikipedia
1839
Latter-day Saints stake organized in Lee County in 1839. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 44,207. The 2020 Census counted 33,555, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1967
A tornado in January 1967 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Hail in May 2003 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Hail in May 2003 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lee County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lee County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lee County, in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lee County ranks 2nd of the seven; Van Buren County is highest, at 30.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines County, IA | 57 | 14.0% | 25.5% |
| Clark County, MO | 56 | 13.7% | 29.8% |
| Henderson County, IL | 47 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Van Buren County, IA | 40 | 16.8% | 30.5% |
| Lee County, IA | 38 | 13.7% | 30.2% |
| Hancock County, IL | 18 | 10.9% | 26.3% |
| Henry County, IA | 17 | 12.9% | 26.8% |
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 Lee County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Lee County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 14th 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, Lee County ranks 11th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lee 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.
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 Lee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.