Iron County, Missouri

County Distress Index: Elevated · 62.6 | 9,440 people · 19th most distressed in Missouri
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Iron County, MO registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 62.6 — 647th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Missouri, it ranks 19th of 115 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Iron County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 82.0 — worse than roughly 82% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 82.0
Poverty Rate 82
Income vs. State Median 83
Child Poverty Rate 81
Community Vulnerability 80.2
Uninsured Rate 71
Disability Rate 89
Debt & Delinquency 56.9
Debt in Collections 73
Medical Debt 71
Student Loan Delinquency 59
Auto Loan Delinquency 61
Credit Card Delinquency 15
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 63
Housing Cost Burden 50.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 80
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 59
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 17
Homeownership Rate 40
Rent-to-Income Ratio 59
Employment & Wages 42.8
Unemployment Rate 61
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 23
Business Formation Rate 44

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Iron County
Iron County, MO 62.6 Elevated —
Wayne County, MO 80.2 Crisis +17.7
Washington County, MO 69.2 Serious +6.6
Madison County, MO 64.6 Elevated +2.0
St. Francois County, MO 61.5 Elevated -1.1
Reynolds County, MO 60.9 Elevated -1.6
Dent County, MO 60.5 Elevated -2.1
Crawford County, MO 59.0 Elevated -3.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Iron County
Luce County, MI 62.6 Elevated 0.0
Delta County, TX 62.5 Elevated -0.0
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, AK 62.5 Elevated -0.0
Wheeler County, OR 62.5 Elevated -0.0
Wilkinson County, GA 62.4 Elevated -0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Iron County

Find an Attorney

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Missouri Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 573-635-4128

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Iron County residents at no cost.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri 314-534-4200 (St. Louis); 1-800-444-0514 (statewide hotline)
Legal Aid of Western Missouri 816-474-6750 (Kansas City); 1-800-748-2057 (statewide hotline)
Central Missouri Legal Services 573-442-0116
The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD) 816-474-6750
Legal Services of Southern Missouri (417) 881-1397
Mid-Missouri Legal Services Corporation (573) 442-0116

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Iron County, Missouri?

    Iron County has a County Distress Index score of 62.6 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 647th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 19th in Missouri out of 115 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Iron County?

    The primary driver of distress in Iron County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 82.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Iron County compare to neighboring counties?

    Iron County (62.6) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Wayne County, MO (80.2); Washington County, MO (69.2); Madison County, MO (64.6).

  • 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 Iron County?

    Iron County, Missouri has a population of approximately 9,440 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.