Unemployment in Osceola County, Iowa, is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Osceola County, 2.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Osceola County's score
In Osceola County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 46.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 8.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Osceola 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.
Even so, Osceola County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 46.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.2% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 33.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,397 · 202432nd percentile
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- 17.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.7% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people50.2 · 20259th percentile
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- 10.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.8% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.4% · second quarter of 202620th percentile
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- 8.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.1% · 2020 to 202412th 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 Osceola 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 Osceola County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Osceola County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Osceola County had its largest rise, from 13.6% in 2014 to 20.7% in 2019.
In Osceola County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Osceola County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Osceola County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 6.4% in 2023 to 8.7% in 2024.
The share of households in Osceola County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.8% 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, Osceola County, Iowa.
How Osceola County has changed
Osceola County's population had its largest drop, from 8,059 in 1984 to 7,259 in 1989.
Osceola County's population fell by about a quarter to 6,036, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 8,583 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Osceola County, Iowa.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Osceola County rose 37% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 2,499. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Osceola County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.0% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,506 | 2024 $73,397 |
The table uses 2.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.2% 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 Osceola County's history
1851
January 15, 1851 (created) January 1, 1872 (organized). Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 10,607. The 2020 Census counted 6,192, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1981
A tornado in June 1981 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in June 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in June 2010 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in March 2019 did $2.56 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Osceola County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Osceola County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Osceola County, in Iowa and Minnesota, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Osceola County ranks 4th of the six; Jackson County is highest, at 23.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nobles County, MN | 25 | 13.3% | 20.8% |
| Osceola County, IA | 8 | 11.1% | 19.9% |
| Jackson County, MN | 7 | 9.4% | 23.6% |
| O'Brien County, IA | 6 | 9.3% | 21.0% |
| Dickinson County, IA | 5 | 8.1% | 18.7% |
| Lyon County, IA | 0 | 7.3% | 14.6% |
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 Osceola County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Osceola County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 46th 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, Osceola County ranks 64th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Osceola 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 Osceola 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 Osceola County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.