Monona County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Normal · 38.5 | 8,493 people · 32nd most distressed in Iowa
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Monona County, IA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 38.5 — 2444th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where income and poverty levels indicate moderate economic strain. Within Iowa, it ranks 32nd of 99 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Monona County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 55.9 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 55.9
Poverty Rate 42
Income vs. State Median 80
Child Poverty Rate 45
Debt & Delinquency 44.2
Debt in Collections 36
Medical Debt 46
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 34
Credit Card Delinquency 66
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 52
Employment & Wages 38.2
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 43
Business Formation Rate 42
Housing Cost Burden 36.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 37
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 57
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 25
Homeownership Rate 39
Rent-to-Income Ratio 23
Community Vulnerability 18.1
Uninsured Rate 5
Disability Rate 31

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Monona County
Monona County, IA 38.5 Normal —
Thurston County, NE 51.8 Elevated +13.3
Woodbury County, IA 50.8 Elevated +12.2
Crawford County, IA 43.2 Normal +4.7
Burt County, NE 38.1 Normal -0.4
Harrison County, IA 36.1 Normal -2.4
Ida County, IA 23.6 Healthy -14.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Monona County
Beaverhead County, MT 38.6 Normal +0.0
Stafford County, KS 38.6 Normal +0.1
Crane County, TX 38.6 Normal +0.1
Golden Valley County, ND 38.4 Normal -0.1
Grand Isle County, VT 38.6 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Monona County

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Iowa State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 515-243-3179

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Monona County has a County Distress Index score of 38.5 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,444th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 32nd in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Monona County?

    The primary driver of distress in Monona County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 55.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Monona County compare to neighboring counties?

    Monona County (38.5) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Thurston County, NE (51.8); Woodbury County, IA (50.8); Crawford County, IA (43.2).

  • 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 Monona County?

    Monona County, Iowa has a population of approximately 8,493 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.