Clarke County, Alabama

County Distress Index: Elevated · 57.4 | 22,337 people · 29th most distressed in Alabama
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Clarke County, AL registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 57.4 — 1048th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Alabama, it ranks 29th of 67 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Clarke County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 78.1 — worse than roughly 78% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 78.1
Debt in Collections 79
Medical Debt 40
Student Loan Delinquency 94
Auto Loan Delinquency 85
Credit Card Delinquency 76
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 94
Income & Poverty 76.3
Poverty Rate 82
Income vs. State Median 58
Child Poverty Rate 88
Community Vulnerability 66.3
Uninsured Rate 51
Disability Rate 81
Housing Cost Burden 35.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 38
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 25
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 22
Homeownership Rate 67
Rent-to-Income Ratio 25
Employment & Wages 30.9
Unemployment Rate 61
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 4
Business Formation Rate 28

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Clarke County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clarke County
Clarke County, AL 57.4 Elevated —
Wilcox County, AL 66.9 Serious +9.5
Marengo County, AL 63.9 Elevated +6.4
Monroe County, AL 59.1 Elevated +1.7
Choctaw County, AL 58.1 Elevated +0.7
Washington County, AL 44.3 Normal -13.1
Baldwin County, AL 41.0 Normal -16.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clarke County
Lamb County, TX 57.4 Elevated -0.0
Iosco County, MI 57.4 Elevated +0.0
Hopkins County, TX 57.4 Elevated +0.0
Coos County, NH 57.5 Elevated +0.0
Stephens County, OK 57.5 Elevated +0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Clarke County

Find an Attorney

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

Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-392-5660

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Clarke County residents at no cost.

Legal Services Alabama 1-866-456-4995
Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-392-5660

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

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Alabama →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Clarke County, Alabama?

    Clarke County has a County Distress Index score of 57.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,048th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 29th in Alabama out of 67 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Clarke County?

    The primary driver of distress in Clarke County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 78.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Clarke County compare to neighboring counties?

    Clarke County (57.4) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Wilcox County, AL (66.9); Marengo County, AL (63.9); Monroe County, AL (59.1).

  • 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 Clarke County?

    Clarke County, Alabama has a population of approximately 22,337 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.