Unemployment in O'Brien County, Iowa, is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties
In O'Brien County, 2.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives O'Brien County's score
In O'Brien County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 28.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 7.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in O'Brien 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.
O'Brien 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.
- 28.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.6% · second quarter of 202618th percentile
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- 25.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.9% · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.8 · 202532nd percentile
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- 24.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.3% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.3% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance3.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,967 · 202441st percentile
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- 21.2 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 rent15.7% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.9% · fiscal year 20276th percentile
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- 7.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.6% · 2020 to 202410th 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 O'Brien 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 O'Brien County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
O'Brien County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in O'Brien County fell most sharply after its 2009 high, from 21.4% in 2009 to 17.3% in 2014.
In O'Brien County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 21.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In O'Brien County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in O'Brien County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.3% in 2019 to 6.0% in 2020.
The share of households in O'Brien County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 4.6% 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, O'Brien County, Iowa.
How O'Brien County has changed
O'Brien County's population had its largest drop, from 16,696 in 1984 to 15,521 in 1989.
O'Brien County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14,260
High on the chart: 17,797 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, O'Brien County, Iowa.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in O'Brien County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,559, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 6,723 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, O'Brien County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.2% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.0% | 2024 9.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,087 | 2024 $69,967 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.3% 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 O'Brien County's history
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 19,293. The 2020 Census counted 14,182, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
A tornado in July 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Hail in July 2009 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A thunderstorm in June 2015 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flood in June 2024 did $2.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered O'Brien County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
O'Brien County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border O'Brien County, three score higher. Of the group, O'Brien County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (21.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, IA | 13 | 11.3% | 20.5% |
| Cherokee County, IA | 11 | 10.4% | 17.0% |
| Osceola County, IA | 8 | 11.1% | 19.9% |
| O'Brien County, IA | 6 | 9.3% | 21.0% |
| Sioux County, IA | 0 | 7.3% | 14.2% |
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 O'Brien County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, O'Brien County's poverty rate was 9.3% in 2024, 74th 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, O'Brien County ranks 70th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in O'Brien 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 O'Brien 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 O'Brien County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.