District of Columbia
Above the national median for unemployment — and 20.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 0%).
Main Findings
District of Columbia, District of Columbia ranks 961st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 6% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
- 961st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 60.9 · moderate-high county distress, 1st in District of Columbia.
- 6% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 26% — national median 21%, ranked at the 84th percentile.
- Auto loan delinquency at 10% — national median 5%, ranked at the 91st percentile.
- Child poverty rate at 21% — national median 18%, ranked at the 64th percentile.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 56-point drop to Arlington County, VA marks a cross-border distress gradient.
"District of Columbia has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile."
"The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix."
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 District of Columbia's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. District of Columbia's value shown alongside DC's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | District of Columbia | DC median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 68 · Rank 934 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 10% | 5% | 91st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 54th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 26% | 26% | 23% | 60th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 35 · Rank 2,199 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 22% | 22% | 23% | 45th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 80 | 80 | 126 | 26th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 76 · Rank 513 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 26% | 26% | 21% | 84th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 21% | 21% | 18% | 69th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 169 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 6% | 4% | 95th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 30 · Rank 2,386 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 21% | 21% | 18% | 64th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 11% | 16% | 10th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 15% | 15% | 14% | 63rd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 13% | 13% | 27% | 4th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 3% | 3% | 8% | 4th | Census ACS 5-yr (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), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite District of Columbia data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 153-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WASHINGTON, D.C. — District of Columbia ranks 961st 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 60.9 out of 100 gives District of Columbia a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 960 counties rank more distressed. Within District of Columbia, District of Columbia ranks first of 1 districts.
The index, which draws on 16 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 District of Columbia. 6% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
"District of Columbia has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is District of Columbia's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives District of Columbia's distress score?
How does District of Columbia compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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