In Marshall County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Marshall County, 16.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marshall County's score
In Marshall County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 52.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 11.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marshall 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.
Even so, Marshall County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 52.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.1% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 45.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.2% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people115 · 202543rd percentile
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- 37.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.9% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,660 · 202444th percentile
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- 23.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.9% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
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- 11.4 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 rent10.5% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.4% · fiscal year 20279th 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marshall County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Marshall County had its largest rise, from 18.2% in 2004 to 23.4% in 2009.
In Marshall County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Marshall County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.8% in 2012 to 14.8% in 2013.
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 9.2%
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 12.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Marshall County, Iowa.
How Marshall County has changed
Marshall County's population fell most sharply on the way to its 1989 low, from 40,972 in 1984 to 38,273 in 1989.
Marshall County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 42,241 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marshall County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 17,893 in 2015 to 15,809 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 19,392 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marshall County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 6.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.1% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,140 | 2024 $68,660 |
The table uses 6.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.9% 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 Marshall County's history
1846
County formed January 13, 1846. Wikipedia
1961
F3 tornado south side of Marshalltown April 23, 1961, $1 million damage, 1 killed, 12 injured. Wikipedia
1961
A tornado in April 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 41,652. The 2020 Census counted 40,105, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
1981
A tornado in April 1981 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A tornado in July 2018 did $200 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Powerful derecho hit Marshalltown August 10, 2020, with winds 99 mph, extensive damage. Wikipedia
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Since 1965
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marshall County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marshall County beside its neighbors
Marshall County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Marshall County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (27.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County, IA | 22 | 12.4% | 27.8% |
| Tama County, IA | 19 | 11.6% | 24.6% |
| Jasper County, IA | 18 | 9.3% | 24.4% |
| Hardin County, IA | 16 | 12.5% | 23.1% |
| Story County, IA | 9 | 15.9% | 16.1% |
| Grundy County, IA | 0 | 6.2% | 20.1% |
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 Marshall County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Marshall County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 26th 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, Marshall County ranks 22nd of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marshall 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.