Ringgold County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Normal · 39.7 | 4,642 people · 27th most distressed in Iowa
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Ringgold County, IA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 39.7 — 2368th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where income and poverty levels indicate moderate economic strain. Within Iowa, it ranks 27th of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Ringgold County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 64.1 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 64.1
Poverty Rate 55
Income vs. State Median 75
Child Poverty Rate 63
Community Vulnerability 44.2
Uninsured Rate 48
Disability Rate 40
Debt & Delinquency 32.5
Debt in Collections 34
Medical Debt 80
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 19
Credit Card Delinquency 22
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 7
Housing Cost Burden 28.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 58
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 38
Homeownership Rate 25
Rent-to-Income Ratio 19
Employment & Wages 28.6
Unemployment Rate 13
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 40
Business Formation Rate 33

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Ringgold County
Ringgold County, IA 39.7 Normal —
Harrison County, MO 54.1 Elevated +14.5
Decatur County, IA 51.8 Elevated +12.1
Worth County, MO 51.7 Elevated +12.0
Union County, IA 45.0 Normal +5.3
Clarke County, IA 40.9 Normal +1.3
Taylor County, IA 34.4 Healthy -5.3
Adams County, IA 33.8 Healthy -5.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Ringgold County
Reagan County, TX 39.7 Normal 0.0
Greene County, IA 39.6 Normal -0.0
Emmet County, IA 39.7 Normal +0.0
Cherry County, NE 39.7 Normal +0.1
Shelby County, MO 39.6 Normal -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Ringgold 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 Ringgold County, Iowa?

    Ringgold County has a County Distress Index score of 39.7 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,368th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 27th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Ringgold County?

    The primary driver of distress in Ringgold County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 64.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Ringgold County compare to neighboring counties?

    Ringgold County (39.7) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Harrison County, MO (54.1); Decatur County, IA (51.8); Worth County, MO (51.7).

  • 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 Ringgold County?

    Ringgold County, Iowa has a population of approximately 4,642 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.