Wilcox County, Alabama
Above the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 22.8× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Wilcox County, Alabama ranks ninth most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 44% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 9th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 90.9 · extreme county distress, 2nd in Alabama.
- 44% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Auto loan delinquency at 12% — national median 5%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 6% — national median 4%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Child poverty rate at 48% — national median 18%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 19-point drop to Clarke County marks where the Alabama distress corridor ends.
Wilcox County has an extreme county distress score. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated.
The CDI gives this county an extreme county distress label. The score is the plain-language signal; the national rank separately shows how the county compares with every other county-equivalent in the release. 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), 48% of children under 18 in Wilcox 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 Wilcox County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Wilcox County's value shown alongside AL's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Wilcox | AL median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 95 · Rank 50 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 8% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 7% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 46% | 33% | 23% | 95th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 95 · Rank 25 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 44% | 32% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 372 | 394 | 126 | 95th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 85 · Rank 254 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 29% | 19% | 21% | 94th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 22% | 18% | 18% | 77th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 93 · Rank 197 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 4% | 4% | 93rd | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 86 · Rank 155 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 48% | 25% | 18% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 21% | 20% | 16% | 86th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 33% | 18% | 14% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 9% | 8% | 59th | 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 Wilcox County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CAMDEN, Ala. — Wilcox County ranks ninth 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 90.9 out of 100 gives Wilcox an extreme county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 8 rank more distressed. Within Alabama, Wilcox ranks second 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 Wilcox. 44% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%.
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 Wilcox County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Wilcox County's distress score?
How does Wilcox County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Wilcox County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →