In Mitchell County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in eight dollars of the typical household's income
In Mitchell County, 13.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mitchell County's score
In Mitchell County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 26.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 6.3. About one in nine adults aged 25 to 54 (11.0%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mitchell 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.
Mitchell 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.
- 26.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability10.8% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,344 · 202414th percentile
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- 19.7 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 rent15.5% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income13.2% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 13.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.1% · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people66.6 · 202517th percentile
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- 9.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.5% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.6% · second quarter of 202614th percentile
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- 6.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20267th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell County, 21.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mitchell County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mitchell County had its largest drop, from 19.5% in 2009 to 13.8% in 2014.
In Mitchell County, pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Mitchell County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mitchell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.6% in 2021 to 6.9% in 2022.
The share of households in Mitchell County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 7.7%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 4.5% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mitchell County, Iowa.
How Mitchell County has changed
Mitchell County's population had its largest drop, from 12,364 in 1979 to 11,588 in 1984.
Mitchell County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 10,632
High on the chart: 13,284 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mitchell County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Mitchell County had its largest rise, from 3,536 in 2015 to 4,103 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Mitchell County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2020, reaching 4,103, then turned down in 2025
High on the chart: 4,103 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mitchell County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,851 | 2024 $84,344 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Mitchell County's history
1851
Mitchell County founded in 1851. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 14,916. The 2020 Census counted 10,565, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
2001
A thunderstorm in April 2001 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in May 2013 did $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mitchell County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mitchell County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Mitchell County, in Iowa and Minnesota, four score higher. Of the group, Mitchell County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Mower County gets the largest, at 26.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mower County, MN | 37 | 9.2% | 26.1% |
| Floyd County, IA | 13 | 11.3% | 25.7% |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | 8 | 10.4% | 20.1% |
| Worth County, IA | 3 | 10.0% | 23.3% |
| Mitchell County, IA | 1 | 10.4% | 13.9% |
| Howard County, IA | 1 | 9.7% | 20.7% |
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 Mitchell County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Mitchell County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 58th 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, Mitchell County ranks 91st of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.