Mitchell County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 23.7 | 10,518 people · 87th most distressed in Iowa
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Mitchell County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 23.7 — 3062nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where the job market is relatively stable with wages that keep pace with costs. Within Iowa, it ranks 87th of 99 counties. It scores lower than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Mitchell County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 34.8 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 34.8
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 10
Business Formation Rate 86
Community Vulnerability 24.5
Uninsured Rate 43
Disability Rate 6
Income & Poverty 23.5
Poverty Rate 14
Income vs. State Median 32
Child Poverty Rate 25
Housing Cost Burden 19.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 28
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 36
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 10
Homeownership Rate 19
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Debt & Delinquency 16.2
Debt in Collections 9
Medical Debt 26
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 6
Credit Card Delinquency 6
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 18

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Mitchell County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Mitchell County
Mitchell County, IA 23.7 Healthy —
Mower County, MN 43.7 Normal +20.0
Floyd County, IA 35.8 Normal +12.1
Cerro Gordo County, IA 33.5 Healthy +9.7
Howard County, IA 29.8 Healthy +6.1
Worth County, IA 27.4 Healthy +3.7
Chickasaw County, IA 26.0 Healthy +2.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Mitchell County
Brookings County, SD 23.6 Healthy -0.1
Washington County, IL 23.9 Healthy +0.2
Washington County, NE 23.9 Healthy +0.2
Marion County, IA 23.9 Healthy +0.2
Hughes County, SD 23.5 Healthy -0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Mitchell County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Mitchell County

Find an Attorney

Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Mitchell County residents at no cost.

Iowa Legal Aid 1-800-532-1275

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Iowa →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Mitchell County, Iowa?

    Mitchell County has a County Distress Index score of 23.7 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,062nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 87th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Mitchell County?

    The primary driver of distress in Mitchell County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 34.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Mitchell County compare to neighboring counties?

    Mitchell County (23.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Mower County, MN (43.7); Floyd County, IA (35.8); Cerro Gordo County, IA (33.5).

  • 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 Mitchell County?

    Mitchell County, Iowa has a population of approximately 10,518 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.