In Lucas County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Lucas County, 18.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 72% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lucas County's score
In Lucas County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 63.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.4. About one in 16 renters (6.4%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lucas 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.
Lucas 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.
- 63.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.5% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,457 · 202466th percentile
-
- 40.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.0% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people125.8 · 202549th percentile
-
- 39.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.8% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
-
- 38.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202637th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.0% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
-
- 16.5 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 rent6.4% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th percentile
-
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 Lucas 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 Lucas County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lucas County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lucas County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 28.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lucas County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lucas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.2% in 2020 to 10.7% in 2021.
The share of households in Lucas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 9.9%
Low on the chart: 9.6% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lucas County, Iowa.
How Lucas County has changed
Lucas County's population fell 16% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 10,428 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lucas County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Lucas County had its largest drop in the last span, from 3,610 in 2020 to 3,177 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Lucas County was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 3,610 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lucas County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,586 | 2024 $61,457 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Lucas County's history
1846
Formed in 1846. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,126. The 2020 Census counted 8,634, 54% of the peak. Census Bureau
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A tornado in March 2022 did $1.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lucas County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lucas County beside its neighbors
Lucas County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Lucas County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas County, IA | 32 | 14.3% | 28.0% |
| Wayne County, IA | 19 | 12.9% | 26.4% |
| Monroe County, IA | 18 | 11.3% | 25.2% |
| Clarke County, IA | 12 | 10.9% | 26.0% |
| Marion County, IA | 4 | 9.8% | 19.9% |
| Warren County, IA | 3 | 6.6% | 16.9% |
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 Lucas County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Lucas County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 9th 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, Lucas County ranks 13th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lucas 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.
-
Iowa Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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 Lucas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.