About one in seven people in Woodbury County, Iowa, has a disability
In Woodbury County, 13.5% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Woodbury County's score
In Woodbury County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 54.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 27.1. Unemployment averaged 3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 73% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Woodbury 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, Woodbury County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.8% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th percentile
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- 48.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.4% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people118 · 202545th percentile
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- 47.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.6% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 40.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.6% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,974 · 202425th percentile
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- 27.1 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 202626th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.1% · 2020 to 202427th 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 Woodbury 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 Woodbury County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Woodbury County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Woodbury County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Woodbury County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Woodbury County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.2% in 2010 to 13.9% in 2011.
The share of households in Woodbury County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 11.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Woodbury County, Iowa.
How Woodbury County has changed
Woodbury County's population rose 4% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1989 and 1994
High on the chart: 107,257 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Woodbury County, Iowa.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Woodbury County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 53,332 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Woodbury County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,409 | 2024 $76,974 |
The table uses 3.5% 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 Woodbury County's history
1851
January 15, 1851 (created) March 7, 1853 (organized). Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 107,849. The 2020 Census counted 105,941, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
1973
A tornado in June 1973 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in July 1986 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in July 1999 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in March 2019 did $6.79 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Woodbury County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Woodbury County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Woodbury County, in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Woodbury County ranks 3rd of the eight; Monona County is highest, at 28.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurston County, NE | 45 | 16.9% | 23.2% |
| Woodbury County, IA | 39 | 13.6% | 23.0% |
| Dakota County, NE | 34 | 11.2% | 16.2% |
| Monona County, IA | 20 | 11.1% | 28.0% |
| Cherokee County, IA | 11 | 10.4% | 17.0% |
| Ida County, IA | 2 | 10.6% | 21.1% |
| Union County, SD | 1 | 5.8% | 7.7% |
| Plymouth County, IA | 1 | 7.6% | 17.6% |
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 Woodbury County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Woodbury County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 15th 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, Woodbury County ranks 10th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Woodbury 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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Center for Siouxland
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Woodbury 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 Woodbury County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.