Marengo County, Alabama
3× the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 49.1× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Marengo County, Alabama ranks 329th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 359 — more than double the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 329th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 74.4 · high county distress, 22nd in Alabama.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 359 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 94th percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Disability rate at 24% — national median 16%, ranked at the 94th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Auto loan delinquency at 14% — national median 5%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 67th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 19-point drop to Clarke County marks where the Alabama distress corridor ends.
Marengo County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 33% of children under 18 in Marengo County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Marengo County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Marengo County's value shown alongside AL's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Marengo | AL median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 83 · Rank 445 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 14% | 8% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 7% | 5% | 59th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 42% | 33% | 23% | 95th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 92 · Rank 104 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 37% | 32% | 23% | 90th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 359 | 394 | 126 | 94th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 44 · Rank 1,813 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 19% | 21% | 38th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 18% | 18% | 18% | 50th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 67 · Rank 990 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 67th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 86 · Rank 167 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 33% | 25% | 18% | 94th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 24% | 20% | 16% | 94th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 24% | 18% | 14% | 93rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 9% | 8% | 55th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (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), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Marengo County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
LINDEN, Ala. — Marengo County ranks 329th 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 74.4 out of 100 gives Marengo a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 328 counties rank more distressed. Within Alabama, Marengo ranks 22nd of 67 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies default & legal as the primary driver in Marengo. A bankruptcy filing rate of 359 — more than double the national median of 126.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Marengo County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Marengo County's distress score?
How does Marengo County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Marengo County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →