Palo Alto County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 30.7 | 8,810 people · 62nd most distressed in Iowa
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Palo Alto County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 30.7 — 2862nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Iowa, it ranks 62nd of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Palo Alto County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 47.0 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 47.0
Unemployment Rate 16
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 34
Business Formation Rate 92
Income & Poverty 39.1
Poverty Rate 26
Income vs. State Median 64
Child Poverty Rate 27
Community Vulnerability 24.4
Uninsured Rate 18
Disability Rate 31
Housing Cost Burden 22.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 31
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 22
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 43
Rent-to-Income Ratio 11
Debt & Delinquency 20.2
Debt in Collections 7
Medical Debt 16
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 52
Credit Card Delinquency 6
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 8

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Palo Alto County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Palo Alto County
Palo Alto County, IA 30.7 Healthy —
Emmet County, IA 39.7 Normal +9.0
Pocahontas County, IA 34.0 Healthy +3.4
Buena Vista County, IA 33.9 Healthy +3.2
Clay County, IA 31.7 Healthy +1.0
Dickinson County, IA 28.3 Healthy -2.3
Kossuth County, IA 28.3 Healthy -2.4
Humboldt County, IA 26.0 Healthy -4.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Palo Alto County
Sanborn County, SD 30.6 Healthy -0.0
Grant County, NE 30.6 Healthy -0.1
Oneida County, ID 30.5 Healthy -0.1
Loving County, TX 30.8 Healthy +0.1
Jackson County, CO 30.5 Healthy -0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Palo Alto County as a CSV file.

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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 Palo Alto County, Iowa?

    Palo Alto County has a County Distress Index score of 30.7 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,862nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 62nd in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Palo Alto County?

    The primary driver of distress in Palo Alto County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 47.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Palo Alto County compare to neighboring counties?

    Palo Alto County (30.7) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Emmet County, IA (39.7); Pocahontas County, IA (34.0); Buena Vista County, IA (33.9).

  • 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 Palo Alto County?

    Palo Alto County, Iowa has a population of approximately 8,810 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.