Plymouth County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 18.5 | 25,722 people · 97th most distressed in Iowa
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Plymouth County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 18.5 — 3128th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where housing remains relatively affordable compared to local incomes. Within Iowa, it ranks 97th of 99 counties. It scores lower than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Plymouth County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 23.5 — above the national median.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 23.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 15
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 23
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 20
Homeownership Rate 54
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Community Vulnerability 19.7
Uninsured Rate 25
Disability Rate 15
Debt & Delinquency 19.3
Debt in Collections 16
Medical Debt 31
Student Loan Delinquency 9
Auto Loan Delinquency 10
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 45
Income & Poverty 18.6
Poverty Rate 11
Income vs. State Median 30
Child Poverty Rate 14
Employment & Wages 11.6
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 7
Business Formation Rate 20

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Plymouth County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Plymouth County
Plymouth County, IA 18.5 Healthy —
Woodbury County, IA 50.8 Elevated +32.2
Cherokee County, IA 32.4 Healthy +13.9
O'Brien County, IA 27.3 Healthy +8.8
Sioux County, IA 21.0 Healthy +2.5
Union County, SD 19.6 Healthy +1.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Plymouth County
Grundy County, IA 18.4 Healthy -0.1
Nemaha County, KS 18.3 Healthy -0.2
Oconee County, GA 18.3 Healthy -0.2
Morgan County, UT 19.0 Healthy +0.5
Union County, SD 19.6 Healthy +1.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Plymouth County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Plymouth County

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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 Plymouth County, Iowa?

    Plymouth County has a County Distress Index score of 18.5 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,128th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 97th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Plymouth County?

    The primary driver of distress in Plymouth County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 23.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Plymouth County compare to neighboring counties?

    Plymouth County (18.5) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Woodbury County, IA (50.8); Cherokee County, IA (32.4); O'Brien County, IA (27.3).

  • 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 Plymouth County?

    Plymouth County, Iowa has a population of approximately 25,722 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.