#523 Nevada · 2026

Mineral County, Nevada

69.4 · moderate-high county distress 523rd of 3,144 counties nationally · 4,528 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
9% Mineral residents
vs.
4% U.S. median

More than double the national median for unemployment — and 9.1× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)

Main Findings

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Mineral County, Nevada ranks 523rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.

Key Findings
  • 523rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 69.4 · moderate-high county distress, 4th in Nevada.
  • 9% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
  • Rent-to-income ratio at 29% — national median 21%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Disability rate at 20% — national median 16%, ranked at the 83rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Debt in collections at 29% — national median 23%, ranked at the 72nd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 44-point drop to Mono County, CA marks a cross-border distress gradient.

County Distress Index cluster map. Mineral County, Nevada and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Mineral and its 5 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Mineral County ranks 523rd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Mineral County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 31 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

10.5% +4.6 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

17.6% +8.4 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

42.7% +37.4 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

23.1% -6.4 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Mineral County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Mineral County's value shown alongside NV'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; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Mineral County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Mineral NV median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 29 · Rank 2,295 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 4% 5% 5% 33rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 1% 6% 5% 5th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 23% 23% 23% 49th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 62 · Rank 1,009 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 29% 27% 23% 72nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 132 120 126 53rd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 90 · Rank 143 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 29% 23% 21% 93rd HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 25% 22% 18% 87th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 68 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 9% 4% 4% 95th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 71 · Rank 775 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 23% 14% 18% 72nd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 20% 18% 16% 83rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 17% 12% 14% 75th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 9% 9% 8% 58th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

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

Labor Primary driver 95
Weight 20% · Rank 68 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 90
Weight 20% · Rank 143 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 71
Weight 20% · Rank 775 of 3,144
Default & Legal 62
Weight 20% · Rank 1,009 of 3,144
Delinquency 29
Weight 20% · Rank 2,295 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), 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 Mineral County 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
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HAWTHORNE, Nev. — Mineral County ranks 523rd 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 69.4 out of 100 gives Mineral a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 522 counties rank more distressed. Within Nevada, Mineral ranks fourth of 17 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 labor as the primary driver in Mineral. 9% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.

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.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mineral County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Mineral County scores 69.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-high county distress. It ranks 523rd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 4th of 17 Nevada counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Mineral County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Labor, at a domain score of 95. Unemployment ranks at the 95th percentile nationally.

How does Mineral County compare to its neighbors?

Mineral County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Nye County (74.92, high county distress). Lowest: Mono County, CA (31.35, low-moderate county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 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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