Polk County, Iowa
Above the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 19.9× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Polk County, Iowa ranks 2,405th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Polk sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 2,405th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-least distressed fifth, 18th in Iowa.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 145 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 58th percentile nationally.
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 20% — national median 18%, ranked at the 60th percentile.
- Delinquency domain score 39 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Safety Net & Buffer domain score 23 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
"Polk County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context."
"The CDI places this county in the second-least distressed fifth nationally. The rank still belongs in context with state position and the highest-scoring local domain."
The Indicators Behind Polk County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Polk County's value shown alongside IA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Polk | IA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 39 · Rank 1,952 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 3% | 5% | 37th | 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 | 21% | 17% | 23% | 41st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 50 · Rank 1,545 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 21% | 17% | 23% | 41st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 145 | 101 | 126 | 58th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 49 · Rank 1,582 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 17% | 21% | 38th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 20% | 17% | 18% | 60th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 15 · Rank 2,651 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 2% | 4% | 15th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 23 · Rank 2,647 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 15% | 14% | 18% | 37th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 14% | 16% | 11th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 12% | 10% | 14% | 33rd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 16% | 23% | 27% | 10th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 5% | 8% | 16th | 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 Polk County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 142-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DES MOINES, Iowa — Polk County ranks 2,405th 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 35 out of 100 places Polk in the second-least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,404 counties rank more distressed. Within Iowa, Polk ranks 18th 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, finds Polk sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Polk County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context," 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 Polk County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How does Polk County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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