Santa Fe County, New Mexico
Above the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 2.2× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Steele County, ND — 12%).
Main Findings
Santa Fe County, New Mexico ranks 1,732nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a rent-to-income ratio of 26% — above the national median of 21%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 1,732nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 47.6 · moderate-low county distress, 32nd in New Mexico.
- A rent-to-income ratio of 26% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 84th percentile nationally. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 60th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Uninsured rate at 9% — national median 8%, ranked at the 61st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Delinquency domain score 27 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 64-point drop to Los Alamos County marks where the New Mexico distress corridor ends.
Santa Fe County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
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 Santa Fe County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Santa Fe County's value shown alongside NM's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Santa Fe | NM median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 27 · Rank 2,358 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 5% | 5% | 41st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 21st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 16% | 26% | 23% | 19th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 25 · Rank 2,597 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 19% | 28% | 23% | 34th | 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 83 · Rank 299 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 26% | 26% | 21% | 84th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 24% | 18% | 18% | 83rd | 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% | 5% | 4% | 60th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 42 · Rank 1,880 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 19% | 27% | 18% | 55th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 15% | 20% | 16% | 40th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 12% | 19% | 14% | 39th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 9% | 8% | 61st | 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 Santa Fe County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 133-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SANTA FE, N.M. — Santa Fe County ranks 1,732nd 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 47.6 out of 100 gives Santa Fe a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,731 counties rank more distressed. Within New Mexico, Santa Fe ranks 32nd 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 debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Santa Fe. A rent-to-income ratio of 26% — above the national median of 21%.
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 Santa Fe County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Santa Fe County's distress score?
How does Santa Fe County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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