Webster County, Iowa

County Distress Index: Normal · 43.8 | 36,485 people · 16th most distressed in Iowa
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Webster County, IA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 43.8 — 2092nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where income and poverty levels indicate moderate economic strain. Within Iowa, it ranks 16th of 99 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Webster County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 56.3 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 56.3
Poverty Rate 54
Income vs. State Median 68
Child Poverty Rate 47
Debt & Delinquency 47.7
Debt in Collections 49
Medical Debt 25
Student Loan Delinquency 83
Auto Loan Delinquency 34
Credit Card Delinquency 69
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 28
Community Vulnerability 42.2
Uninsured Rate 45
Disability Rate 40
Employment & Wages 37.0
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 6
Business Formation Rate 74
Housing Cost Burden 35.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 36
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 38
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 22
Homeownership Rate 70
Rent-to-Income Ratio 14

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Webster County
Webster County, IA 43.8 Normal —
Greene County, IA 39.6 Normal -4.2
Pocahontas County, IA 34.0 Healthy -9.8
Wright County, IA 30.2 Healthy -13.6
Calhoun County, IA 29.1 Healthy -14.7
Humboldt County, IA 26.0 Healthy -17.8
Hamilton County, IA 26.0 Healthy -17.8
Boone County, IA 23.2 Healthy -20.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Webster County
Webster County, MO 43.8 Normal 0.0
Hancock County, IL 43.8 Normal -0.0
Madison County, OH 43.9 Normal +0.1
Nodaway County, MO 43.9 Normal +0.1
Huron County, MI 43.8 Normal -0.1

Download Data

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

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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 Webster County, Iowa?

    Webster County has a County Distress Index score of 43.8 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,092nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 16th in Iowa out of 99 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Webster County?

    The primary driver of distress in Webster County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 56.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Webster County compare to neighboring counties?

    Webster County (43.8) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Greene County, IA (39.6); Pocahontas County, IA (34.0); Wright County, IA (30.2).

  • 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 Webster County?

    Webster County, Iowa has a population of approximately 36,485 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.