Van Buren County, Iowa
Above the national median for uninsured rate.
Main Findings
Van Buren County, Iowa ranks 2,450th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Van Buren sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 2,450th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-least distressed fifth, 21st in Iowa.
- 12% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 78th percentile nationally.
- Default & Legal domain score 45 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Delinquency domain score 33 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 17 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 32-point drop to Davis County marks where the Iowa distress corridor ends.
"Van Buren 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 Van Buren County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Van Buren County's value shown alongside IA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Van Buren | IA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 33 · Rank 2,134 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 3% | 5% | 45th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 4% | 5% | 35th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 16% | 17% | 23% | 19th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 45 · Rank 1,771 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 | 124 | 101 | 126 | 49th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 17 · Rank 2,878 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 19% | 17% | 21% | 29th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 6% | 17% | 18% | 5th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 15 · Rank 2,653 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 2% | 4% | 15th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 61 · Rank 1,127 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 22% | 14% | 18% | 71st | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 14% | 16% | 68th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 15% | 10% | 14% | 60th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 30% | 23% | 27% | 67th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 12% | 5% | 8% | 78th | 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 Van Buren County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 146-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
KEOSAUQUA, Iowa — Van Buren County ranks 2,450th 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 34 out of 100 places Van Buren in the second-least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,449 counties rank more distressed. Within Iowa, Van Buren ranks 21st 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 Van Buren sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Van Buren 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 Van Buren County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Van Buren County's distress score?
How does Van Buren County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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