New Madrid County, Missouri
Above the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 20.8× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
New Madrid County, Missouri ranks 398th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 40% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 398th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 72.4 · high county distress, 7th in Missouri.
- 40% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 94th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Credit card delinquency at 12% — national median 5%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Poverty rate at 20% — national median 14%, ranked at the 85th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 70th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span five CDI score labels. The 32-point drop to Stoddard County marks where the Missouri distress corridor ends.
New Madrid 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 Default & Legal.
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 New Madrid County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. New Madrid County's value shown alongside MO's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | New Madrid | MO median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 86 · Rank 338 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 6% | 5% | 80th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 5% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 24% | 23% | 85th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 90 · Rank 153 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 40% | 24% | 23% | 94th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 246 | 118 | 126 | 85th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 35 · Rank 2,198 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 20% | 21% | 38th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 15% | 16% | 18% | 32nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 70 · Rank 902 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 70th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 81 · Rank 342 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 | 20% | 17% | 16% | 80th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 14% | 14% | 85th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 13% | 11% | 8% | 80th | 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 New Madrid County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 137-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
NEW MADRID, Mo. — New Madrid County ranks 398th 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 72.4 out of 100 gives New Madrid a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 397 counties rank more distressed. Within Missouri, New Madrid ranks seventh of 115 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 default & legal as the primary driver in New Madrid. 40% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%.
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 New Madrid County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How does New Madrid County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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