Unemployment in Wayne County, Iowa, is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Wayne County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wayne County's score
In Wayne County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 61.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 19.9. People with a car or retail loan behind: 1.3%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wayne 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, Wayne County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.9% · 202447th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.7% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance12.8% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,202 · 202463rd percentile
-
- 34.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.7% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people106.8 · 202539th percentile
-
- 22.9 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 rent13.7% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
-
- 22.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20269th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
-
- 19.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.3% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.3% · second quarter of 202646th 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, 22.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wayne County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wayne County had its largest rise, from 18.9% in 1979 to 23.4% in 1984.
In Wayne County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 26.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Wayne County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.9% in 2017 to 12.7% in 2018.
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 9.9% 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, Wayne County, Iowa.
How Wayne County has changed
Wayne County's population had its largest drop, from 7,817 in 1984 to 7,057 in 1989.
Wayne County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 6,622
High on the chart: 8,464 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wayne County, Iowa.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County rose 9% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 2,061 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wayne County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.1% | 2024 12.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,081 | 2024 $62,202 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Wayne County's history
1846
January 13, 1846 (created) January 27, 1851 (organized). Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,491. The 2020 Census counted 6,497, 37% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in April 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
A tornado in April 1970 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in April 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wayne County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wayne County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Wayne County, in Iowa and Missouri, score higher than it does. Of the group, Wayne County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Mercer County gets the largest, at 35.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appanoose County, IA | 49 | 15.8% | 33.8% |
| Lucas County, IA | 32 | 14.3% | 28.0% |
| Mercer County, MO | 32 | 13.7% | 35.0% |
| Decatur County, IA | 26 | 18.1% | 33.0% |
| Putnam County, MO | 23 | 13.8% | 31.8% |
| Wayne County, IA | 19 | 12.9% | 26.4% |
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 Wayne County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 12.9% in 2024, 22nd 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, Wayne County ranks 29th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wayne 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.
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 Wayne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.