Hendry County, Florida
Above the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Hendry County, Florida ranks 166th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 11% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 166th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 79.1 · high county distress, 6th in Florida.
- 11% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 96th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Debt in collections at 38% — national median 23%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Uninsured rate at 21% — national median 8%, ranked at the 97th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 22-point drop to Collier County marks where the Florida distress corridor ends.
Hendry 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 Delinquency.
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), Hendry County's disability rate indicator is at the 14th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 75th percentile. The gap stands out against poverty rate and uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in LaBelle.
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 Hendry County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Hendry County's value shown alongside FL's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Hendry | FL median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 88 · Rank 279 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 6% | 5% | 75th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 7% | 5% | 96th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 38% | 29% | 23% | 93rd | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 80 · Rank 429 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 38% | 28% | 23% | 91st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 175 | 138 | 126 | 69th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 68 · Rank 774 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 | 17% | 25% | 18% | 46th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 87 · Rank 378 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 5% | 4% | 87th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 72 · Rank 728 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 26% | 19% | 18% | 82nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 12% | 17% | 16% | 14th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 22% | 14% | 14% | 91st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 21% | 12% | 8% | 97th | 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 Hendry County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
LABELLE, Fla. — Hendry County ranks 166th 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 79.1 out of 100 gives Hendry a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 165 counties rank more distressed. Within Florida, Hendry ranks sixth 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 delinquency as the primary driver in Hendry. 11% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
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 Hendry County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Hendry County's distress score?
How does Hendry County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Hendry County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →