St. Joseph County, Indiana
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
St. Joseph County, Indiana ranks 1,135th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 24% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 1,135th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 58.3 · moderate county distress, 11th in Indiana.
- 24% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 84th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 220 — national median 126, ranked at the 79th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 70th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Poverty rate at 14% — national median 14%, ranked at the 56th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 25-point drop to Marshall County marks where the Indiana distress corridor ends.
St. Joseph County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
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 St. Joseph County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. St. Joseph County's value shown alongside IN's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | St. Joseph | IN median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 58 · Rank 1,289 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 5% | 5% | 70th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 5% | 5% | 47th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 25% | 23% | 23% | 56th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 67 · Rank 854 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 24% | 22% | 23% | 54th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 220 | 223 | 126 | 79th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 77 · Rank 481 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 19% | 21% | 70th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 24% | 16% | 18% | 84th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 46 · Rank 1,645 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 3% | 4% | 46th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 44 · Rank 1,793 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 18% | 14% | 18% | 53rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 14% | 15% | 16% | 29th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 11% | 14% | 56th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 7% | 7% | 8% | 43rd | 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 St. Joseph County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 137-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — St. Joseph County ranks 1,135th 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 58.3 out of 100 gives St. Joseph a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,134 counties rank more distressed. Within Indiana, St. Joseph ranks 11th of 92 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 debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in St. Joseph. 24% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
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 St. Joseph County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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