#2,322 Arizona · 2026

Greenlee County, Arizona

36.4 · low-moderate county distress 2,322nd of 3,144 counties nationally · 9,369 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
9% Greenlee residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 31 words · paste-ready

Greenlee County, Arizona ranks 2,322nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Greenlee sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 2,322nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 36.4 · low-moderate county distress, 15th in Arizona.
  • 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 92nd percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Debt in collections at 27% — national median 23%, ranked at the 65th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Labor domain score 34 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 19 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Labor–Credit Divergence

Unemployment is 3%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 92nd percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.

Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 20-point drop to Graham County marks where the copper corridor distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Greenlee County, Arizona and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Greenlee and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Greenlee County ranks 2,322nd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Greenlee County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 32 words

The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

2.9% -3.6 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

9.8% -1.5 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

25.4% +19.7 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

28.8% -4.4 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Greenlee County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Greenlee County's value shown alongside AZ's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Greenlee County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Greenlee AZ median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 77 · Rank 632 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 6% 6% 5% 66th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 9% 6% 5% 92nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 29% 26% 23% 71st Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 35 · Rank 2,207 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 27% 26% 23% 65th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 11 128 126 5th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 19 · Rank 2,808 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 20% 28% 21% 33rd HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 1% 19% 18% 5th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 34 · Rank 2,026 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 5% 4% 34th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 18 · Rank 2,826 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 10% 21% 18% 9th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 14% 15% 16% 28th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 10% 17% 14% 18th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 3% 11% 8% 5th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Delinquency Primary driver 77
Weight 20% · Rank 632 of 3,144
Default & Legal 35
Weight 20% · Rank 2,207 of 3,144
Labor 34
Weight 20% · Rank 2,026 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 19
Weight 20% · Rank 2,808 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 18
Weight 20% · Rank 2,826 of 3,144

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 Greenlee County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 124-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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CLIFTON, Ariz. — Greenlee County ranks 2,322nd 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 36.4 out of 100 gives Greenlee a low-moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,321 counties rank more distressed. Within Arizona, Greenlee ranks 15th of 15 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, finds Greenlee sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

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.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Greenlee County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Greenlee County scores 36.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low-moderate county distress. It ranks 2,322nd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 15th of 15 Arizona counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Greenlee County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 77. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 92nd percentile nationally.

How does Greenlee County compare to its neighbors?

Greenlee County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Apache County (75.54, high county distress). Lowest: Graham County (55.68, moderate county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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