St. Louis city, Missouri
4× the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 65.6× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
St. Louis city, Missouri ranks 174th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 479 — more than double the national median of 126. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 174th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 78.9 · high county distress, 5th in Missouri.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 479 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 98th percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Auto loan delinquency at 11% — national median 5%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 26% — national median 21%, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Poverty rate at 20% — national median 14%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 18-point drop to St. Louis County marks where the Missouri distress corridor ends.
St. Louis city 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.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 27% of children under 18 in St. Louis city 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.
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. Louis city's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. St. Louis city's value shown alongside MO's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | St. Louis city | MO median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 84 · Rank 411 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 6% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 5% | 5% | 76th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 32% | 24% | 23% | 80th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 95 · Rank 49 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 38% | 24% | 23% | 92nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 479 | 118 | 126 | 98th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 84 · Rank 297 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 26% | 20% | 21% | 87th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 23% | 16% | 18% | 80th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 60 · Rank 1,197 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 60th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 72 · Rank 698 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 27% | 19% | 18% | 85th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 17% | 17% | 16% | 57th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 14% | 14% | 86th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 11% | 8% | 60th | 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. Louis city data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 136-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — St. Louis city ranks 174th 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 78.9 out of 100 gives St. Louis city a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 173 counties rank more distressed. Within Missouri, St. Louis city ranks fifth 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 St. Louis. A bankruptcy filing rate of 479 — more than double the national median of 126.
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. Louis city's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives St. Louis city's distress score?
How does St. Louis city compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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