Tama County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Normal · 41.3 | 16,833 people · 21st most distressed in Iowa
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Tama County, IA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 41.2 — 2273rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Iowa, it ranks 21st of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Tama County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 63.4 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 63.4
Unemployment Rate 86
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 32
Business Formation Rate 72
Income & Poverty 46.6
Poverty Rate 40
Income vs. State Median 59
Child Poverty Rate 41
Housing Cost Burden 39.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 23
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 36
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 86
Homeownership Rate 38
Rent-to-Income Ratio 12
Debt & Delinquency 31.0
Debt in Collections 44
Medical Debt 34
Student Loan Delinquency 31
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 35
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 37
Community Vulnerability 26.2
Uninsured Rate 40
Disability Rate 12

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Tama County
Tama County, IA 41.3 Normal —
Black Hawk County, IA 45.0 Normal +3.7
Marshall County, IA 41.0 Normal -0.3
Jasper County, IA 39.1 Normal -2.1
Poweshiek County, IA 33.5 Healthy -7.8
Iowa County, IA 27.7 Healthy -13.5
Benton County, IA 21.9 Healthy -19.3
Grundy County, IA 18.4 Healthy -22.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Tama County
Fremont County, ID 41.2 Normal -0.0
Clay County, SD 41.2 Normal -0.0
Anderson County, KY 41.2 Normal -0.1
Meade County, KY 41.2 Normal -0.1
Caroline County, VA 41.1 Normal -0.1

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Tama County, Iowa?

    Tama County has a County Distress Index score of 41.3 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,273rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 21st in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Tama County?

    The primary driver of distress in Tama County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 63.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Tama County compare to neighboring counties?

    Tama County (41.3) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Black Hawk County, IA (45.0); Marshall County, IA (41.0); Jasper County, IA (39.1).

  • 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 Tama County?

    Tama County, Iowa has a population of approximately 16,833 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.