In Shelby County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Shelby County, 14.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Shelby County's score
In Shelby County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 37.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 11.5. About one in 10 people (10.2%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Shelby 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.
Shelby 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.
- 37.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.9% · second quarter of 202629th percentile
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- 27.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.3% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.2 · 202522nd percentile
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- 21.3 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 rent16.1% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.2% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 12.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
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- 11.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.2% · 20249th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.3% · 202414th percentile
- People with a disability10.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance2.3% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,108 · 202423rd 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 Shelby 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 Shelby County, 23.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Shelby County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Shelby County rose most in two steps: 14.7% in 1989 to 17.5% in 1994; 17.5% in 2004 to 20.3% in 2009.
In Shelby County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Shelby County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Shelby County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.1% in 2022 to 7.6% in 2023.
The share of households in Shelby County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 6.2% 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, Shelby County, Iowa.
How Shelby County has changed
Shelby County's population had its largest drop, from 14,701 in 1984 to 13,279 in 1989.
Shelby County's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11,821
High on the chart: 15,367 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Shelby County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Shelby County had its largest drop, from 6,056 in 2015 to 5,325 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Shelby County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 6,056 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Shelby County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 8.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,629 | 2024 $78,108 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Shelby County's history
1870
Starting 1870s, many Danish immigrants settled in Elk Horn in southeastern Shelby County and Kimballton in adjoining Audubon County; more people with Danish ancestry live there than any other rural community aside from Denmark. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,932. The 2020 Census counted 11,746, 66% of the peak. Census Bureau
1987
A tornado in May 1987 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in September 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A tornado in November 2015 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Shelby County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Shelby County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Shelby County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Shelby County ranks 4th of the six; Pottawattamie County is highest, at 27.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 46 | 13.9% | 27.1% |
| Cass County, IA | 24 | 11.6% | 26.2% |
| Crawford County, IA | 22 | 11.7% | 23.4% |
| Audubon County, IA | 18 | 11.0% | 23.6% |
| Harrison County, IA | 11 | 7.6% | 25.0% |
| Shelby County, IA | 6 | 8.2% | 23.9% |
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 Shelby County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Shelby County's poverty rate was 8.2% in 2024, 84th 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, Shelby County ranks 69th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.