#383 Top 500 Most Distressed Counties · 2026

Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana

Most distressed fifth 383rd of 3,144 counties nationally · 20,000 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
10% Pointe Coupee Parish residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

More than double the national median for auto loan delinquency.

Urban Institute (2024)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 38 words · paste-ready

Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana ranks 383rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 10% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.

Key Findings
  • 383rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Most distressed fifth, 35th in Louisiana.
  • 10% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 93rd percentile nationally.
  • Rent-to-income ratio at 25% — national median 21%, ranked at the 81st percentile.
  • Disability rate at 22% — national median 16%, ranked at the 91st percentile.
  • Debt in collections at 32% — national median 23%, ranked at the 78th percentile.
Distinctive Signals
Labor–Credit Divergence

Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 93rd percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.

Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 41-point drop to West Feliciana Parish marks where the Louisiana distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana and its neighbors colored by distress fifth.
Pointe Coupee Parish and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Pointe Coupee Parish ranks 383rd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire quote — paste-ready, any angle 23 words

"Pointe Coupee Parish ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research
Analyst quote — for feature use 29 words

"The CDI places this county in the most distressed fifth nationally. The rank is the important geography signal: it compares the county with every other county-equivalent in the release."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research

Reporter's Notes

Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.

Reporting hook
Child poverty at 28% — 1.6× the national median

28% of children under 18 in Pointe Coupee Parish live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.

The Indicators Behind Pointe Coupee Parish's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Pointe Coupee Parish's value shown alongside LA'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, where 50 = U.S. county median and higher = more distressed. Percentile is Pointe Coupee Parish's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Pointe Coupee Parish LA median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 85 · Rank 388 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 10% 8% 5% 93rd Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 9% 8% 5% 88th Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 29% 35% 23% 72nd Urban Institute (2024)
Default & Legal — domain score 67 · Rank 838 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 32% 34% 23% 78th Urban Institute (2024)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 140 225 126 56th US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 78 · Rank 470 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 25% 22% 21% 81st HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 22% 21% 18% 74th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 62 · Rank 1,177 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 62nd BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 68 · Rank 856 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 28% 28% 18% 86th Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 22% 17% 16% 91st Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 20% 20% 14% 86th Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 26% 30% 27% 45th BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 7% 8% 8% 41st Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Data compiled April 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax 2024 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS Dec 2025, QCEW 2024), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2024).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Delinquency Primary driver 85
Weight 20% · Rank 388 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 78
Weight 20% · Rank 470 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 68
Weight 20% · Rank 856 of 3,144
Default & Legal 67
Weight 20% · Rank 838 of 3,144
Labor 62
Weight 20% · Rank 1,177 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), 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 Pointe Coupee Parish data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 158-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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NEW ROADS, La. — Pointe Coupee Parish ranks 383rd 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 72 out of 100 places Pointe Coupee Parish in the most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 382 counties rank more distressed. Within Louisiana, Pointe Coupee Parish ranks 35th of 64 parishes.

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 delinquency as the primary driver in Pointe Coupee Parish. 10% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.

"Pointe Coupee Parish ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pointe Coupee Parish's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Pointe Coupee Parish scores 72 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the most distressed fifth. It ranks 383rd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 35th of 64 Louisiana parishes. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Pointe Coupee Parish's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 85. Auto loan delinquency ranks at the 93rd percentile nationally.

How does Pointe Coupee Parish compare to its neighbors?

Pointe Coupee Parish's neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Concordia Parish (87.57, Most distressed fifth). Lowest: West Feliciana Parish (46.80, Middle fifth).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 16 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.

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