San Juan County, New Mexico
More than double the national median for auto loan delinquency.
Main Findings
San Juan County, New Mexico ranks 480th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 12% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 480th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 70.2 · high county distress, 8th in New Mexico.
- 12% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 97th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Poverty rate at 20% — national median 14%, ranked at the 85th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 23% — national median 21%, ranked at the 65th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Unemployment is 5%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 97th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span five CDI score labels. The 54-point drop to Archuleta County, CO marks a cross-border distress gradient.
San Juan 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 Delinquency.
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 San Juan County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. San Juan County's value shown alongside NM's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | San Juan | NM median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 84 · Rank 394 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 5% | 5% | 97th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 6% | 5% | 66th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 37% | 26% | 23% | 91st | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 49 · Rank 1,596 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 33% | 28% | 23% | 81st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 63 | 65 | 126 | 16th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 62 · Rank 1,061 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 23% | 26% | 21% | 65th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 19% | 18% | 18% | 58th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 84 · Rank 477 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 5% | 4% | 84th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 73 · Rank 686 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 26% | 27% | 18% | 83rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 16% | 20% | 16% | 49th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 19% | 14% | 85th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 12% | 9% | 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 San Juan County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 136-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
AZTEC, N.M. — San Juan County ranks 480th 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 70.2 out of 100 gives San Juan a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 479 counties rank more distressed. Within New Mexico, San Juan ranks eighth of 33 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 delinquency as the primary driver in San Juan. 12% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.
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 San Juan County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives San Juan County's distress score?
How does San Juan County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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