Dale County, Alabama

County Distress Index: Elevated · 54.2 | 49,871 people · 43rd most distressed in Alabama
American Default Research

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Dale County, AL registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 54.2 — 1267th 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 43rd of 67 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Dale County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 76.7 — worse than roughly 77% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 76.7
Debt in Collections 78
Medical Debt 67
Student Loan Delinquency 65
Auto Loan Delinquency 76
Credit Card Delinquency 75
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 99
Community Vulnerability 76.4
Uninsured Rate 70
Disability Rate 82
Income & Poverty 60.1
Poverty Rate 71
Income vs. State Median 40
Child Poverty Rate 70
Housing Cost Burden 36.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 35
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 31
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 11
Homeownership Rate 91
Rent-to-Income Ratio 12
Employment & Wages 21.7
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 1
Business Formation Rate 57

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Dale County
Dale County, AL 54.2 Elevated —
Geneva County, AL 64.9 Elevated +10.7
Barbour County, AL 64.4 Elevated +10.2
Pike County, AL 62.5 Elevated +8.3
Houston County, AL 53.4 Elevated -0.9
Coffee County, AL 51.6 Elevated -2.6
Henry County, AL 50.5 Elevated -3.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Dale County
Douglas County, WA 54.2 Elevated +0.0
Clay County, AL 54.2 Elevated -0.0
Kalkaska County, MI 54.2 Elevated -0.0
Pettis County, MO 54.2 Elevated -0.0
Montgomery County, NC 54.3 Elevated +0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Dale County

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Dale County has a County Distress Index score of 54.2 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,267th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 43rd in Alabama out of 67 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Dale County?

    The primary driver of distress in Dale County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 76.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Dale County compare to neighboring counties?

    Dale County (54.2) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Geneva County, AL (64.9); Barbour County, AL (64.4); Pike County, AL (62.5).

  • 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 Dale County?

    Dale County, Alabama has a population of approximately 49,871 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.