Winston County, Alabama
More than double the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 38.9× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Winston County, Alabama ranks 1,163rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 284 — more than double the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 1,163rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 57.9 · moderate county distress, 48th in Alabama.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 284 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 89th percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Disability rate at 23% — national median 16%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Auto loan delinquency at 9% — national median 5%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Labor domain score 46 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Winston County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
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 Winston County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Winston County's value shown alongside AL's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Winston | AL median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 70 · Rank 840 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 8% | 5% | 86th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 7% | 5% | 58th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 28% | 33% | 23% | 67th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 79 · Rank 443 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 28% | 32% | 23% | 69th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 284 | 394 | 126 | 89th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 18 · Rank 2,850 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 18% | 19% | 21% | 18th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 12% | 18% | 18% | 18th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 46 · Rank 1,645 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 46th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 76 · Rank 546 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 25% | 18% | 77th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 23% | 20% | 16% | 91st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 17% | 18% | 14% | 71st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 9% | 8% | 61st | 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 Winston County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DOUBLE SPRINGS, Ala. — Winston County ranks 1,163rd 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 57.9 out of 100 gives Winston a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,162 counties rank more distressed. Within Alabama, Winston ranks 48th 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 Winston. A bankruptcy filing rate of 284 — 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 Winston County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Winston County's distress score?
How does Winston County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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