Black Hawk County, Iowa
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Black Hawk County, Iowa ranks 1,836th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 25% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
- 1,836th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 3rd in Iowa.
- 25% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 88th percentile nationally.
- Poverty rate at 14% — national median 14%, ranked at the 56th percentile.
- Delinquency domain score 42 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Safety Net & Buffer domain score 40 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span two CDI distress fifths. The 22-point drop to Bremer County marks where the Cedar Valley distress corridor ends.
"Black Hawk County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
The Indicators Behind Black Hawk County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Black Hawk County's value shown alongside IA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Black Hawk | IA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 42 · Rank 1,849 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 3% | 5% | 44th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 4% | 5% | 39th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 22% | 17% | 23% | 43rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 50 · Rank 1,554 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 23% | 17% | 23% | 49th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 126 | 101 | 126 | 50th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 67 · Rank 853 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 17% | 21% | 45th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 25% | 17% | 18% | 88th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 31 · Rank 2,117 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 2% | 4% | 31st | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 40 · Rank 1,984 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 15% | 14% | 18% | 36th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 14% | 14% | 16% | 30th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 10% | 14% | 56th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 24% | 23% | 27% | 37th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 5% | 8% | 11th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Black Hawk County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 160-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WATERLOO, Iowa — Black Hawk County ranks 1,836th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 46 out of 100 places Black Hawk in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,835 counties rank more distressed. Within Iowa, Black Hawk ranks third of 99 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Black Hawk. 25% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
"Black Hawk County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Black Hawk County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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