Imperial County, California
5× the national median for unemployment — and 16.9× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Imperial County, California ranks 302nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 17% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
- 302nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 75.0 · high county distress, 2nd in California.
- 17% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 100th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 28% — national median 21%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Subprime credit share at 33% — national median 23%, ranked at the 82nd percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
- Poverty rate at 17% — national median 14%, ranked at the 75th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 20-point drop to San Diego County marks where the California distress corridor ends.
Imperial County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
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 Imperial County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Imperial County's value shown alongside CA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Imperial | CA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 74 · Rank 719 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 4% | 5% | 62nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 5% | 5% | 78th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 20% | 23% | 82nd | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 54 · Rank 1,358 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 24% | 18% | 23% | 53rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 138 | 119 | 126 | 55th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 90 · Rank 146 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 28% | 27% | 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 | 26% | 25% | 18% | 90th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 100 · Rank 1 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 17% | 5% | 4% | 100th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 57 · Rank 1,302 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 22% | 16% | 18% | 70th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 15% | 13% | 16% | 40th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 17% | 13% | 14% | 75th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 7% | 6% | 8% | 38th | 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 Imperial County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
EL CENTRO, Calif. — Imperial County ranks 302nd 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 75.0 out of 100 gives Imperial a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 301 counties rank more distressed. Within California, Imperial ranks second of 58 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 labor as the primary driver in Imperial. 17% 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 Imperial County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Imperial County's distress score?
How does Imperial County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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