St. Clair County, Alabama

County Distress Index: Normal · 41.1 | 95,552 people · 63rd most distressed in Alabama
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St. Clair County, AL falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 41.1 — 2281st 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 63rd 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. St. Clair County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 65.5 — above the national median.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 65.5
Debt in Collections 62
Medical Debt 63
Student Loan Delinquency 44
Auto Loan Delinquency 68
Credit Card Delinquency 62
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 94
Community Vulnerability 46.2
Uninsured Rate 43
Disability Rate 49
Employment & Wages 44.4
Unemployment Rate 1
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 78
Business Formation Rate 55
Housing Cost Burden 28.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 29
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 20
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 53
Homeownership Rate 9
Rent-to-Income Ratio 32
Income & Poverty 21.1
Poverty Rate 27
Income vs. State Median 4
Child Poverty Rate 32

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. St. Clair County
St. Clair County, AL 41.1 Normal —
Calhoun County, AL 65.8 Serious +24.7
Etowah County, AL 63.5 Elevated +22.4
Talladega County, AL 55.9 Elevated +14.8
Blount County, AL 55.0 Elevated +14.0
Jefferson County, AL 54.5 Elevated +13.5
Shelby County, AL 30.2 Healthy -10.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. St. Clair County
Yellowstone County, MT 41.1 Normal -0.0
Cape Girardeau County, MO 41.0 Normal -0.1
LaSalle County, IL 41.0 Normal -0.1
Monongalia County, WV 41.0 Normal -0.1
Sumner County, TN 41.3 Normal +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for St. Clair County as a CSV file.

Find Help in St. Clair County

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

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Legal aid organizations serving St. Clair County residents at no cost.

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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 St. Clair County, Alabama?

    St. Clair County has a County Distress Index score of 41.1 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,281st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 63rd in Alabama out of 67 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in St. Clair County?

    The primary driver of distress in St. Clair County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 65.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does St. Clair County compare to neighboring counties?

    St. Clair County (41.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Calhoun County, AL (65.8); Etowah County, AL (63.5); Talladega County, AL (55.9).

  • 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 St. Clair County?

    St. Clair County, Alabama has a population of approximately 95,552 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.