About three in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Iron County, Wisconsin, have a job
In Iron County, 12.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Iron County's score
In Iron County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 47.3. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 17.6. About one in eight people with a credit file (12.4%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Iron County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, 12-month average (5.5%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Iron County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 47.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.0% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202688th percentile
-
- 42.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,564 · 202469th percentile
- People below the poverty line11.9% · 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
-
- 41.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score17.1% · Q4 202521st percentile
-
- 41.7 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.5% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
-
- 17.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.4% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people80.3 · 202525th percentile
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Iron County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Iron County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Iron County in 2024, pay from work was 46 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 20 cents. Benefit checks were 34 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 18 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Iron County, benefit checks rose from 18 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Iron County, Wisconsin: 33.9% and 46.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 33.9% of all personal income in Iron County, Wisconsin (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Iron County, 33.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Iron County has changed
The number of people living in Iron County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 6,569 to 6,235. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.2% in 1990 to 5.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 6,569 | 2024 6,235 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,743 | 2024 1,686 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 11.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,047 | 2024 $60,564 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 18.2% | 2024 33.9% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Iron County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 10,261. The 2020 Census counted 6,137, 60% of the peak. Census Bureau
1893
Created in 1893. Wikipedia
2013
Lightning: $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1969
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Iron County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Iron County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Iron County, in Wisconsin and Michigan, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Iron County ranks 3rd of the five; Gogebic County is highest, at 40.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gogebic County, MI | 54 | 17.5% | 40.1% |
| Iron County, WI | 29 | 11.9% | 33.9% |
| Ashland County, WI | 25 | 13.2% | 33.4% |
| Price County, WI | 20 | 12.2% | 34.7% |
| Vilas County, WI | 11 | 10.4% | 27.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Iron County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Iron County's poverty rate was 11.9% in 2024, 19th highest of 72 in Wisconsin (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Menominee County, at 24.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Iron County ranks 12th of 72 in the state.
Iron County in photographs
Places in Iron County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Old Iron County Courthouse (now Iron County Historical Museum), Hurley, Wisconsin, USA.
The new free span bridge was built by the Iron County Forestry Department.
.jpg){kind=link}
Iron County, Wisconsin: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Iron County, Wisconsin?
11.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 15.8%.
Is Iron County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Iron County's poverty rate was 11.9% in 2024, 19th highest of 72 in Wisconsin (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Menominee County, at 24.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Iron County ranks 12th of 72 in the state.
What is the population of Iron County, Wisconsin?
About 6,235 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 6,137, 60% of the county's peak of 10,261 in 1920.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Iron County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Iron County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.