Unemployment in Van Buren County, Iowa, is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties
In Van Buren County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Van Buren County's score
In Van Buren County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 72.7. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.9. About one in 26 renters (3.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Van Buren 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.
Even so, Van Buren County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (17.4%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (28.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.3% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability17.2% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance17.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,881 · 202468th percentile
-
- 51.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
-
- 44.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.7% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.9 · 202548th percentile
-
- 37.2 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 behind4.8% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
-
- 16.9 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 rent3.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
-
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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren County, 23.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Van Buren County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Van Buren County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Van Buren County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Van Buren County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 8.0%
Biggest drop: 2022 to 2023, reaching 9.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Van Buren County, Iowa.
How Van Buren County has changed
Van Buren County's population had its largest drop, from 8,296 in 1984 to 7,669 in 1989.
Van Buren County's population fell 18% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 8,801 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Van Buren County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Van Buren County had its largest rise, from 1,903 in 1995 to 2,212 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Van Buren County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 2,212 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Van Buren County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.5% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,377 | 2024 $60,881 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Van Buren County's history
1836
December 7, 1836, formed as part of Wisconsin Territory and split off from Des Moines County. Wikipedia
1839
The Honey War border dispute between Iowa and Missouri. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,354. The 2020 Census counted 7,203, 42% of the peak. Census Bureau
1967
A tornado in April 1967 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Lightning in April 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Lightning in October 2024 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Van Buren County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Van Buren County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Van Buren County, in Iowa and Missouri, two score higher. Of the group, Van Buren County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (30.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, MO | 56 | 13.7% | 29.8% |
| Jefferson County, IA | 46 | 14.0% | 27.1% |
| Van Buren County, IA | 40 | 16.8% | 30.5% |
| Lee County, IA | 38 | 13.7% | 30.2% |
| Scotland County, MO | 21 | 13.6% | 23.4% |
| Henry County, IA | 17 | 12.9% | 26.8% |
| Davis County, IA | 10 | 10.4% | 21.3% |
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 Van Buren County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Van Buren County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 3rd 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, Van Buren County ranks 7th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Van Buren 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.
-
Iowa Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.