Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska
4× the national median for unemployment — and 16.1× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska ranks 1,252nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 16% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
- 1,252nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 56.0 · moderate county distress, 5th in Alaska.
- 16% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Child poverty rate at 36% — national median 18%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 28% — national median 21%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Debt in collections at 28% — national median 23%, ranked at the 69th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Kusilvak Census Area 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 Labor.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Kusilvak Census Area's disability rate indicator is at the 28th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 72nd percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and median household income. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Hooper Bay.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 36% of children under 18 in Kusilvak Census Area 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
Debt in collections
The Indicators Behind Kusilvak Census Area's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Kusilvak Census Area's value shown alongside AK's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Kusilvak Census Area | AK median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 20 · Rank 2,596 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 2% | 2% | 5% | 9th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 4% | 5% | 25th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 18% | 18% | 23% | 26th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 37 · Rank 2,131 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 28% | 18% | 23% | 69th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 34 | 34 | 126 | 5th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 51 · Rank 1,496 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 28% | 22% | 21% | 91st | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 9% | 10% | 18% | 11th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 68 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 16% | 5% | 4% | 95th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 77 · Rank 501 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 36% | 14% | 18% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 14% | 14% | 16% | 28th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 31% | 12% | 14% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 14% | 8% | 72nd | 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 Kusilvak Census Area data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 139-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
HOOPER BAY, Alaska — Kusilvak Census Area ranks 1,252nd 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 56.0 out of 100 gives Kusilvak Census Area a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,251 counties rank more distressed. Within Alaska, Kusilvak Census Area ranks fifth of 30 boroughs and census areas.
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 labor as the primary driver in Kusilvak Census Area. 16% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.
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 Kusilvak Census Area's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Kusilvak Census Area's distress score?
How does Kusilvak Census Area compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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