Unemployment in Wright County, Iowa, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Wright County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wright County's score
In Wright County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 55.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 13.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wright 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.
Wright 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.
- 55.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.8% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 34.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.6% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,241 · 202442nd percentile
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- 29.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people71.1 · 202519th percentile
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- 21.3 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 rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.4% · fiscal year 20279th percentile
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- 13.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd 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 Wright 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 Wright County, 22.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wright County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wright County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Wright County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wright County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.1% in 2018 to 9.1% in 2019.
The share of households in Wright County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 5.7% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wright County, Iowa.
How Wright County has changed
Wright County's population fell by about a quarter to 12,729, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 14,348. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wright County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Wright County had its largest drop, from 6,320 in 2000 to 5,821 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Wright County rose 14% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 6,325 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wright County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.5% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,704 | 2024 $69,241 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Wright County's history
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 20,348. The 2020 Census counted 12,943, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
1966
A tornado in October 1966 did $25 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wright County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wright County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Wright County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wright County ranks 2nd of the six; Webster County is highest, at 25.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, IA | 24 | 13.1% | 25.5% |
| Wright County, IA | 17 | 10.8% | 25.0% |
| Franklin County, IA | 16 | 11.2% | 22.3% |
| Humboldt County, IA | 11 | 11.2% | 23.0% |
| Hamilton County, IA | 7 | 8.3% | 20.8% |
| Hancock County, IA | 5 | 9.4% | 20.1% |
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 Wright County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Wright County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 53rd 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, Wright County ranks 35th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wright 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 Wright 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 Wright County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.