In Webster County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Webster County, 16.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Webster County's score
In Webster County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 51.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 20.3. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (14.4%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 86% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Webster 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.
Webster County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.1% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 40.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.1% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.3% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,298 · 202451st percentile
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- 38.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.7% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people85 · 202528th percentile
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- 24.8 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 rent16.1% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.8% · fiscal year 202711th percentile
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- 20.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.4% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
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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 Webster 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 Webster County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Webster County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Webster County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Webster County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Webster County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 15.7% in 2017 to 13.2% in 2018.
The share of households in Webster County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 10.3% 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, Webster County, Iowa.
How Webster County has changed
Webster County's population fell by about a quarter to 36,909, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 40,505. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Webster County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Webster County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 18,945 in 2015 to 17,095 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Webster County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 19,700 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Webster County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.1% | 2024 13.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,140 | 2024 $66,298 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Webster County's history
1872
Fort Dodge Plaster Mills formed 1872 began long history of gypsum production in Iowa. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 48,391. The 2020 Census counted 36,999, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1977
A tornado in May 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
Meatpacking plants operated in Fort Dodge for most of 20th century then closed in 1980s as companies moved west. Wikipedia
1998
Fort Dodge Correctional Facility 1250-bed medium-security prison opened 1998. Wikipedia
2019
A flood in March 2019 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Webster County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Webster County beside its neighbors
Webster County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Webster County ranks 3rd of the eight; Greene County is highest, at 27.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, IA | 24 | 13.1% | 25.5% |
| Greene County, IA | 24 | 11.3% | 27.2% |
| Pocahontas County, IA | 21 | 11.0% | 25.5% |
| Wright County, IA | 17 | 10.8% | 25.0% |
| Humboldt County, IA | 11 | 11.2% | 23.0% |
| Calhoun County, IA | 10 | 13.3% | 25.8% |
| Hamilton County, IA | 7 | 8.3% | 20.8% |
| Boone County, IA | 3 | 8.2% | 23.0% |
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 Webster County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Webster County's poverty rate was 13.1% in 2024, 20th 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, Webster County ranks 18th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Webster 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.
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Iowa Legal Aid
Legal aid
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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 Webster 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 Webster County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.