Taylor County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Healthy · 34.4 | 5,924 people · 41st most distressed in Iowa
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Taylor County, IA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 34.4 — 2681st nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where income and poverty levels indicate moderate economic strain. Within Iowa, it ranks 41st of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Taylor County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 54.1 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 54.1
Poverty Rate 46
Income vs. State Median 82
Child Poverty Rate 34
Employment & Wages 36.4
Unemployment Rate 5
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 16
Business Formation Rate 88
Debt & Delinquency 29.3
Debt in Collections 44
Medical Debt 41
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 40
Credit Card Delinquency 8
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 10
Community Vulnerability 27.0
Uninsured Rate 20
Disability Rate 34
Housing Cost Burden 25.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 10
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 55
Homeownership Rate 31
Rent-to-Income Ratio 25

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Taylor County
Taylor County, IA 34.4 Healthy —
Worth County, MO 51.7 Elevated +17.3
Montgomery County, IA 46.6 Normal +12.2
Union County, IA 45.0 Normal +10.6
Nodaway County, MO 43.9 Normal +9.5
Page County, IA 43.3 Normal +8.9
Ringgold County, IA 39.7 Normal +5.3
Adams County, IA 33.8 Healthy -0.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Taylor County
Divide County, ND 34.4 Healthy 0.0
Franklin County, IA 34.3 Healthy -0.0
Lincoln County, MN 34.3 Healthy -0.1
Eddy County, ND 34.5 Healthy +0.1
San Miguel County, CO 34.2 Healthy -0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Taylor 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 Taylor County, Iowa?

    Taylor County has a County Distress Index score of 34.4 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,681st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 41st in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Taylor County?

    The primary driver of distress in Taylor County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 54.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Taylor County compare to neighboring counties?

    Taylor County (34.4) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Worth County, MO (51.7); Montgomery County, IA (46.6); Union County, IA (45.0).

  • 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 Taylor County?

    Taylor County, Iowa has a population of approximately 5,924 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.