Van Buren County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Normal · 49.7 | 7,266 people · 8th most distressed in Iowa
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Van Buren County, IA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 49.7 — 1612th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Iowa, it ranks 8th of 99 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Van Buren County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 73.2 — above the national median.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 73.3
Uninsured Rate 78
Disability Rate 68
Income & Poverty 72.1
Poverty Rate 60
Income vs. State Median 86
Child Poverty Rate 71
Debt & Delinquency 46.1
Debt in Collections 41
Medical Debt 73
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 45
Credit Card Delinquency 35
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 49
Employment & Wages 38.8
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 39
Business Formation Rate 47
Housing Cost Burden 18.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 23
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 27
Homeownership Rate 7
Rent-to-Income Ratio 29

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Van Buren County
Van Buren County, IA 49.7 Normal —
Wapello County, IA 58.9 Elevated +9.2
Clark County, MO 54.1 Elevated +4.4
Jefferson County, IA 50.2 Elevated +0.5
Lee County, IA 49.4 Normal -0.3
Scotland County, MO 41.5 Normal -8.2
Henry County, IA 40.9 Normal -8.8
Davis County, IA 34.6 Healthy -15.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Van Buren County
Hot Springs County, WY 49.7 Normal -0.0
Aleutians West Census Area, AK 49.7 Normal -0.1
Calhoun County, AR 49.8 Normal +0.1
Powell County, MT 49.6 Normal -0.1
Lincoln County, CO 49.8 Normal +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Van Buren County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County, Iowa?

    Van Buren County has a County Distress Index score of 49.7 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,612th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 8th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Van Buren County?

    The primary driver of distress in Van Buren County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 73.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Van Buren County compare to neighboring counties?

    Van Buren County (49.7) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Wapello County, IA (58.9); Clark County, MO (54.1); Jefferson County, IA (50.2).

  • 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 Van Buren County?

    Van Buren County, Iowa has a population of approximately 7,266 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.