Houston County, Alabama

County Distress Index: Elevated · 53.4 | 108,462 people · 45th most distressed in Alabama

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

Houston County, AL registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 53.4 — 1343rd 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 45th of 67 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Houston County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 75.6 — worse than roughly 76% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 75.6
Debt in Collections 78
Medical Debt 53
Student Loan Delinquency 87
Auto Loan Delinquency 72
Credit Card Delinquency 65
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 100
Community Vulnerability 67.5
Uninsured Rate 75
Disability Rate 60
Housing Cost Burden 58.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 67
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 72
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 35
Homeownership Rate 87
Rent-to-Income Ratio 30
Income & Poverty 57.6
Poverty Rate 70
Income vs. State Median 24
Child Poverty Rate 79
Employment & Wages 8.0
Unemployment Rate 4
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 15
Business Formation Rate 4

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Houston County
Houston County, AL 53.4 Elevated
Jackson County, FL 73.0 Serious +19.6
Early County, GA 68.8 Serious +15.4
Seminole County, GA 66.8 Serious +13.5
Geneva County, AL 64.9 Elevated +11.6
Dale County, AL 54.2 Elevated +0.9
Henry County, AL 50.5 Elevated -2.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Houston County
Tuscarawas County, OH 53.3 Elevated -0.0
Muskegon County, MI 53.3 Elevated -0.1
Peoria County, IL 53.4 Elevated +0.1
Monroe County, PA 53.3 Elevated -0.1
Pope County, AR 53.5 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Houston County

Find an Attorney

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

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Houston County residents at no cost.

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