#2,317 Idaho · 2026

Nez Perce County, Idaho

36.6 · low-moderate county distress 2,317th of 3,144 counties nationally · 42,987 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
22% Nez Perce residents
vs.
18% U.S. median

Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 36 words · paste-ready

Nez Perce County, Idaho ranks 2,317th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Nez Perce sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 2,317th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 36.6 · low-moderate county distress, 26th in Idaho.
  • 22% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 78th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Disability rate at 17% — national median 16%, ranked at the 63rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Labor domain score 38 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Default & Legal domain score 23 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 26-point drop to Latah County marks where the Idaho distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Nez Perce County, Idaho and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Nez Perce and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Nez Perce County ranks 2,317th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Nez Perce 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 35 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 Debt Burden (housing basis).

— 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

3.7% -0.2 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

10.6% -1.3 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

24.6% +15.6 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

19.1% -6.9 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Nez Perce County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Nez Perce County's value shown alongside ID'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 Nez Perce County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Nez Perce ID median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 18 · Rank 2,679 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 2% 3% 5% 8th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 3% 3% 5% 18th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 19% 17% 23% 30th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 23 · Rank 2,653 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 17% 16% 23% 26th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 72 109 126 20th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 63 · Rank 1,011 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 21% 21% 21% 48th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 22% 15% 18% 78th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 38 · Rank 1,902 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 38th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 41 · Rank 1,957 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 13% 14% 18% 25th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 17% 15% 16% 63rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 11% 11% 14% 29th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 9% 11% 8% 56th 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.

Debt Burden (housing basis) Primary driver 63
Weight 20% · Rank 1,011 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 41
Weight 20% · Rank 1,957 of 3,144
Labor 38
Weight 20% · Rank 1,902 of 3,144
Default & Legal 23
Weight 20% · Rank 2,653 of 3,144
Delinquency 18
Weight 20% · Rank 2,679 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 Nez Perce County data — in under 60 seconds.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/16069/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Nez Perce County, ID — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 128-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 128 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

LEWISTON, Idaho — Nez Perce County ranks 2,317th 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 36.6 out of 100 gives Nez Perce a low-moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,316 counties rank more distressed. Within Idaho, Nez Perce ranks 26th of 44 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 Nez Perce 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 Nez Perce County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Nez Perce County scores 36.6 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low-moderate county distress. It ranks 2,317th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 26th of 44 Idaho counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Nez Perce County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis), at a domain score of 63. Severe rent burden (50%+) ranks at the 78th percentile nationally.

How does Nez Perce County compare to its neighbors?

Nez Perce County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Clearwater County (54.86, moderate county distress). Lowest: Latah County (28.51, low 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.

Read more
from Ross →