About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Muscatine County, Iowa, have a job
In Muscatine County, 15.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Muscatine County's score
In Muscatine County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 51.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 25.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Muscatine 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.
Muscatine 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.
- 51.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people154 · 202561st percentile
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- 46.3 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 rent21.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
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- 38.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.9% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance4.3% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,330 · 202437th percentile
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- 36.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.7% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 25.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.0% · 2020 to 202415th 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 Muscatine 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 Muscatine County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Muscatine County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Muscatine County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Muscatine County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Muscatine County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.9% in 2016 to 8.5% in 2017.
The share of households in Muscatine County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 12.1%
Low on the chart: 8.4% 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, Muscatine County, Iowa.
How Muscatine County has changed
Muscatine County's population had its largest rise, from 36,655 in 1969 to 38,986 in 1974.
Muscatine County's population rose 15% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 43,360 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Muscatine County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Muscatine County had its largest rise, from 20,894 in 1995 to 22,841 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Muscatine County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 23,136 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Muscatine County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,390 | 2024 $71,330 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Muscatine County's history
2006
A tornado in April 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in June 2007 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A tornado in June 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Lightning in May 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 43,235, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Muscatine County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Muscatine County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Muscatine County, in Iowa and Illinois, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Muscatine County ranks 3rd of the six; Rock Island County is highest, at 24.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Island County, IL | 53 | 12.6% | 24.7% |
| Muscatine County, IA | 31 | 13.3% | 22.7% |
| Scott County, IA | 30 | 11.7% | 19.6% |
| Louisa County, IA | 15 | 9.5% | 24.2% |
| Johnson County, IA | 10 | 17.7% | 14.5% |
| Cedar County, IA | 5 | 7.9% | 18.1% |
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 Muscatine County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Muscatine County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 17th 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, Muscatine County ranks 14th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Muscatine 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 Muscatine 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 Muscatine County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.