About one in six people in Wapello County, Iowa, lives below the poverty line
In Wapello County, 15.6% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 68% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wapello County's score
In Wapello County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 65.9. People with a car or retail loan behind: 7.1%, August 2025, higher than in 75% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 60.2.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Wapello County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.2%, fiscal year 2027) and adults 25 to 54 not working (19.5%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Wapello County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 65.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.0% · Q4 202556th percentile
-
- 60.2 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.1% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
-
- 59.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.1% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people128 · 202551st percentile
-
- 56.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line21.4% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability16.1% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,370 · 202448th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.6% · 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
-
- 46.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202650th percentile
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Wapello County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wapello County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wapello County in 2024, pay from work was 55 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 30 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Wapello County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 30 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Wapello County, Iowa: 30.3% and 54.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 30.3% of all personal income in Wapello County, Iowa (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Wapello County, 18.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Wapello County has changed
The number of people living in Wapello County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 42,451 to 35,681. The number of jobs located there grew by about 10% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.1% in 1990 to 4.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 42,451 | 2024 35,681 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 13,960 | 2024 15,384 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.2% | 2024 15.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,423 | 2024 $67,370 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.6% | 2024 30.3% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Wapello County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 47,397. The 2020 Census counted 35,437, 75% of the peak. Census Bureau
1851
Town severely damaged by flood in 1851. Wikipedia
1857
Coal mining began in 1857 at McCready bank. Wikipedia
1868
Brown and Godfrey drift mine opened 1868 employed 300 men producing 77,000 tons by 1872. Wikipedia
1889
By 1889 15 coal mine shafts operating in Ottumwa. Wikipedia
1914
Phillips Fuel Company produced over 100,000 tons of coal in 1914 ranking among top 24 in state. Wikipedia
1973
John Morrell & Company meatpacking complex significant to Ottumwa development from 1877 to 1973. Wikipedia
1982
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1988
Tornado: $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Flood: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1965
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wapello County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Wapello County beside its neighbors
Wapello County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Wapello County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (30.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wapello County, IA | 62 | 15.6% | 30.3% |
| Jefferson County, IA | 45 | 14.0% | 27.1% |
| Keokuk County, IA | 25 | 11.5% | 25.7% |
| Monroe County, IA | 18 | 11.3% | 25.2% |
| Davis County, IA | 10 | 10.4% | 21.3% |
| Mahaska County, IA | 6 | 11.6% | 22.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Wapello County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Wapello County's poverty rate was 15.6% in 2024, 6th 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, Wapello County ranks 1st of 99 in the state.
Wapello County in photographs
Places in Wapello County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
County courthouse for Wapello County, Iowa.
Wapello County, Iowa: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Wapello County, Iowa?
15.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 21.4%.
Is Wapello County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Wapello County's poverty rate was 15.6% in 2024, 6th 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, Wapello County ranks 1st of 99 in the state.
What is the population of Wapello County, Iowa?
About 35,681 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 35,437, 75% of the county's peak of 47,397 in 1950.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wapello County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
Iowa Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Wapello County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Wapello County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.