Unemployment in Ringgold County, Iowa, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Ringgold County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ringgold County's score
In Ringgold County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 54.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 7.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ringgold 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.
Ringgold 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.
- 54.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.4% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,608 · 202462nd percentile
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- 26.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.4% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.8% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43.1 · 20257th percentile
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- 16.3 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 rent10.5% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
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- 7.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.3% · 2020 to 20249th 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 Ringgold 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 Ringgold County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ringgold County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Ringgold County rose most in two steps: 22.2% in 2004 to 26.2% in 2009; 23.7% in 2014 to 27.7% in 2019.
In Ringgold County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Ringgold County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ringgold County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.6% in 2019 to 14.8% in 2020.
The share of households in Ringgold County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 13.1%
Low on the chart: 7.6% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ringgold County, Iowa.
How Ringgold County has changed
Ringgold County's population fell 29% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 5,435. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ringgold County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Ringgold County had its largest rise, from 1,383 in 1995 to 1,535 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Ringgold County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 1,535 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ringgold County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.7% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,903 | 2024 $62,608 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% 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 Ringgold County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,325. The 2020 Census counted 4,663, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A thunderstorm in June 1984 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A thunderstorm in June 1984 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ringgold County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ringgold County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Ringgold County, in Iowa and Missouri, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ringgold County ranks 5th of the six; Harrison County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County, MO | 51 | 15.9% | 36.0% |
| Union County, IA | 34 | 13.4% | 32.4% |
| Decatur County, IA | 26 | 18.1% | 33.0% |
| Worth County, MO | 21 | 14.8% | 32.8% |
| Taylor County, IA | 10 | 12.4% | 28.9% |
| Ringgold County, IA | 10 | 13.3% | 30.6% |
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 Ringgold County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Ringgold County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 17th 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, Ringgold County ranks 59th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ringgold 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 Ringgold 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 Ringgold County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.