Unemployment in Mills County, Iowa, is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Mills County, 3.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mills County's score
In Mills County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 45.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 16.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mills 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.
Mills 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.
- 45.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.6% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202737th percentile
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- 34.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.3% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people116.2 · 202544th percentile
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- 29.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.3% · second quarter of 202617th percentile
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- 16.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.1% · 202418th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance2.7% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,809 · 202411th percentile
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- 16.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.5% · 2020 to 202418th 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 Mills 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 Mills County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mills County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mills County had its largest rise, from 16.7% in 1984 to 26.6% in 1989.
In Mills County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Mills County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mills County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 7.7% in 2011 to 8.7% in 2012; 8.0% in 2020 to 7.0% in 2021.
The share of households in Mills County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mills County, Iowa.
How Mills County has changed
Mills County's population had its largest rise, from 11,343 in 1969 to 12,620 in 1974.
Mills County's population rose 30% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 15,056 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mills County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Mills County had its largest drop, from 3,853 in 2015 to 3,467 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Mills County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 3,964 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mills County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.3% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,538 | 2024 $88,809 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Mills County's history
1846
Rushville founded 1846 by persecuted Mormon members being driven out of Nauvoo, Illinois. Wikipedia
1846
Coonsville settlement founded by Mormon settlers near Rushville. Wikipedia
1851
County formed in 1851. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,764. The 2020 Census counted 14,484, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
Swift & Company meatpacking plant in Glenwood closed in 1980s after post-WWII heyday. Wikipedia
2007
A flash flood in May 2007 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Mills County catastrophic flooding March 2019, Glenwood water supply impacted. Wikipedia
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Since 1965
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mills County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mills County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Mills County, in Iowa and Nebraska, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mills County ranks 4th of the six; Montgomery County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, IA | 50 | 14.6% | 32.5% |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 46 | 13.9% | 27.1% |
| Mills County, IA | 14 | 9.8% | 21.6% |
| Fremont County, IA | 10 | 10.2% | 29.7% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 4 | 5.8% | 14.4% |
| Cass County, NE | 4 | 6.2% | 18.8% |
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 Mills County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Mills County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 67th 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, Mills County ranks 42nd of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mills 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 Mills County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.