Unemployment in Page County, Iowa, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Page County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Page County's score
In Page County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 51.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 13.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Page 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.
Page 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.
- 51.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability17.5% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,193 · 202457th percentile
-
- 40.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.7% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
-
- 35.3 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 rent18.9% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.3% · fiscal year 202715th percentile
-
- 29.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.5% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people73.3 · 202521st percentile
-
- 13.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.0% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
-
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 Page 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 Page County, 24.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Page County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Page County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Page County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Page County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.4% in 2017 to 10.9% in 2018.
The share of households in Page County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 12.8%
Low on the chart: 9.0% 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, Page County, Iowa.
How Page County has changed
Page County's population had its largest drop, from 18,178 in 1984 to 16,842 in 1989.
Page County's population fell by about a fifth to 15,038, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 19,362 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Page County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Page County had its largest rise, from 6,127 in 1990 to 7,081 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Page County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 7,492 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Page County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.9% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,154 | 2024 $64,193 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Page County's history
1884
Clarinda Treatment Complex established 1884 as third mental asylum in Iowa, treated sex offenders, mentally ill, alcoholics, drug addicts, criminally insane until closing 2015. Wikipedia
1885
Berry's Seed Company mail order farm seed business founded 1885, diversified into retail stores in 1950s, closed those stores in following decade. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 25,904. The 2020 Census counted 15,211, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
1964
A tornado in April 1964 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
A tornado in March 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A thunderstorm in August 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Page County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Page County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Page County, in Iowa and Missouri, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Page County ranks 2nd of the six; Montgomery County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, IA | 50 | 14.6% | 32.5% |
| Page County, IA | 22 | 14.5% | 30.5% |
| Atchison County, MO | 20 | 12.1% | 28.0% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 18 | 15.0% | 27.6% |
| Taylor County, IA | 10 | 12.4% | 28.9% |
| Fremont County, IA | 10 | 10.2% | 29.7% |
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 Page County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Page County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 8th 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, Page County ranks 23rd of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Page 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.
-
Iowa Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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.
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 Page County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.