About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, have a job
In Pottawattamie County, 17.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 70% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pottawattamie County's score
In Pottawattamie County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 68.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 33.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pottawattamie 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, Pottawattamie County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (23.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.4 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 rent20.0% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.6% · fiscal year 202775th percentile
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- 54.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.9% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people140.6 · 202556th percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.5% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 41.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.9% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.5% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,799 · 202431st percentile
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- 33.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th 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 Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pottawattamie County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pottawattamie County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Pottawattamie County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pottawattamie County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.8% in 2011 to 13.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Pottawattamie County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 9.1% 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, Pottawattamie County, Iowa.
How Pottawattamie County has changed
Pottawattamie County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1994 and 1999
High on the chart: 93,691 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pottawattamie County, Iowa.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pottawattamie County rose by about half to 41,804, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 36,061. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pottawattamie County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 13.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,057 | 2024 $73,799 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Pottawattamie County's history
1847
February 24, 1847 (created) September 21, 1848 (organized). Wikipedia
1921
Griffin Pipe Products, established 1921, closed plant employing about 250 people March 2014 when bought by U.S. Pipe and Foundry of Birmingham, Alabama. Wikipedia
1988
A tornado in July 1988 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
A tornado in July 1988 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
A tornado in July 1988 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A thunderstorm in June 2008 did $11 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 93,667, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pottawattamie County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pottawattamie County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Pottawattamie County, in Iowa and Nebraska, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pottawattamie County ranks 2nd of the nine; Montgomery County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, IA | 50 | 14.6% | 32.5% |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 46 | 13.9% | 27.1% |
| Douglas County, NE | 34 | 11.8% | 12.1% |
| Cass County, IA | 24 | 11.6% | 26.2% |
| Mills County, IA | 14 | 9.8% | 21.6% |
| Harrison County, IA | 11 | 7.6% | 25.0% |
| Shelby County, IA | 6 | 8.2% | 23.9% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 4 | 5.8% | 14.4% |
| Washington County, NE | 3 | 6.5% | 16.0% |
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 Pottawattamie County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Pottawattamie County's poverty rate was 13.9% in 2024, 13th 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, Pottawattamie County ranks 5th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.