Dakota County, Nebraska
Near the national median for subprime credit share.
Main Findings
Dakota County, Nebraska ranks 2,282nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Dakota sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 2,282nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-least distressed fifth, 12th in Nebraska.
- 25% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 56th percentile nationally.
- Debt in collections at 23% — national median 23%, ranked at the 51st percentile.
- Child poverty rate at 20% — national median 18%, ranked at the 62nd percentile.
- Safety Net & Buffer domain score 38 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 38-point drop to Union County, SD marks a cross-border distress gradient.
"Dakota County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context."
"The CDI places this county in the second-least distressed fifth nationally. The rank still belongs in context with state position and the highest-scoring local domain."
The Indicators Behind Dakota County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Dakota County's value shown alongside NE's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Dakota | NE median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 49 · Rank 1,600 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 3% | 5% | 42nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 4% | 5% | 49th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 25% | 17% | 23% | 56th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 48 · Rank 1,612 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 23% | 14% | 23% | 51st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 118 | 116 | 126 | 46th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 38 · Rank 2,073 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 19% | 21% | 37th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 16% | 12% | 18% | 40th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 15 · Rank 2,689 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 2% | 4% | 15th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 38 · Rank 2,044 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 13% | 18% | 62nd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 12% | 14% | 16% | 17th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 11% | 14% | 50th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 16% | 22% | 27% | 10th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 8% | 7% | 8% | 47th | Census ACS 5-yr (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), 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 Dakota County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 142-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DAKOTA CITY, Neb. — Dakota County ranks 2,282nd 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 38 out of 100 places Dakota in the second-least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,281 counties rank more distressed. Within Nebraska, Dakota ranks 12th of 93 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Dakota sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Dakota County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dakota County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Dakota County's distress score?
How does Dakota County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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