In Tama County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Tama County, 15.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tama County's score
In Tama County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 48.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 17.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tama 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.
Tama 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.
- 48.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 40.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.3% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people101 · 202536th percentile
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- 30.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.9% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,493 · 202432nd percentile
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- 23.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.3% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 17.1 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 rent14.6% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.4% · fiscal year 20275th or lower 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 Tama 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 Tama County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tama County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Tama County rose most in two steps: 16.4% in 2004 to 19.2% in 2009; 21.8% in 2019 to 24.6% in 2024.
In Tama County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Tama County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tama County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2019 to 9.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Tama County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2023, reaching 10.2%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 10.2% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tama County, Iowa.
How Tama County has changed
Tama County's population had its largest drop, from 18,997 in 1984 to 17,487 in 1989.
Tama County's population fell 17% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 20,187 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tama County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Tama County rose most sharply from its first year (4,845 in 1990) to 5,857 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Tama County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 5,857 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tama County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,590 | 2024 $73,493 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Tama County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 24,585. The 2020 Census counted 17,135, 70% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in April 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1975
A tornado in November 1975 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Iowa Department of Human Services operated Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo until closing 2014; buildings emptied until 2023 when cottages demolished for new South Tama Middle School. Wikipedia
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Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tama County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tama County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Tama County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Tama County ranks 2nd of the six; Marshall County is highest, at 27.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk County, IA | 39 | 14.2% | 24.2% |
| Marshall County, IA | 22 | 12.4% | 27.8% |
| Tama County, IA | 19 | 11.6% | 24.6% |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 18 | 11.8% | 21.7% |
| Benton County, IA | 3 | 7.2% | 19.4% |
| Grundy County, IA | 0 | 6.2% | 20.1% |
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 Tama County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Tama County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 35th 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, Tama County ranks 30th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tama 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.
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 Tama County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.