Sierra County, New Mexico
More than double the national median of residents with medical debt in collections.
Main Findings
Sierra County, New Mexico ranks 1,499th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% of residents with a credit file carry medical debt in collections — more than double the national median of 4%.
- 1,499th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Elevated zone, 22nd in New Mexico.
- 9% of residents with a credit file carry medical debt in collections (U.S. median 4%). Medical debt in collections at the 85th percentile nationally.
- Unemployment at 8% — national median 4%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 30% — national median 21%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Homeownership rate at 70% — national median 74%, ranked at the 70th percentile.
Neighbors span three CDI zones. The 31-point drop to Catron County marks where the New Mexico distress corridor ends.
"Sierra County is where distress lives in the margins. A county where most households are running out of runway, even as the headline numbers stay quiet."
"Elevated-zone counties are the largest block in the index. Most Americans live in counties scoring 55–70 — middle-class households doing the math every month."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Sierra County's house price change (YoY) indicator is at the 13th percentile — while every other indicator in the Economic Vitality domain sits at or above the 61st percentile. The gap stands out against rent-to-income ratio. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Truth or Consequences.
35% of children under 18 in Sierra County 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.
The Indicators Behind Sierra County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Sierra County's value shown alongside NM's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Sierra | NM median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Credit Distress — domain score 38 · Rank 2,008 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 27% | 28% | 23% | 63rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Medical debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have medical debt in collections | 9% | 5% | 4% | 85th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 5% | 5% | 12th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 2% | 6% | 5% | 5th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 9% | 8% | 9th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 21% | 26% | 23% | 38th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Housing Cost Burden — domain score 55 · Rank 1,359 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent burden (30%+) Share of renter households paying 30%+ of income on rent | 39% | 39% | 38% | 54th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 18% | 18% | 18% | 49th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Owner housing burden Share of owner households paying 30%+ of income on housing | 24% | 22% | 24% | 53rd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Homeownership rate Share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied | 70% | 73% | 74% | 70th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Structural Poverty — domain score 94 · Rank 25 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 8% | 5% | 4% | 95th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 24% | 19% | 14% | 93rd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Household income relative to state Median household income as share of state median | 0.79× | 1.00× | 1.00× | 92nd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 35% | 27% | 18% | 95th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 29% | 20% | 16% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 50% | 34% | 27% | 95th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Legal Distress — domain score 29 · Rank 2,221 of 3,144 | |||||
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 87 | 65 | 126 | 29th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Economic Vitality — domain score 69 · Rank 561 of 3,144 | |||||
| Wage-to-rent ratio Ratio of average weekly wage to fair-market rent | 3.7× | 3.7× | 4.0× | 67th | BLS QCEW × HUD FMR (2024) |
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 30% | 26% | 21% | 95th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Business formation rate New business applications per 1,000 residents | 9.1 | 8.9 | 10.0 | 61st | Census Business Formation Statistics (2024) |
| House price change (yoy) House price index year-over-year change | 8% | 3% | 4% | 13th | FHFA HPI (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is a PCA-weighted composite of five statistically derived factors. Weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance across 3,144 counties.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 represents the national county median; higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from 21 indicators grouped into five statistically derived factors via principal component analysis (PCA); factor weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance (shown in the Five-Domain Breakdown above).
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 Sierra County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 158-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. — Sierra County ranks 1,499th 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 51 out of 100 places Sierra in the "Elevated" zone. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,498 counties rank more distressed. Within New Mexico, Sierra ranks 22nd of 33 counties.
The index, which draws on 21 indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies consumer credit distress as the primary driver in Sierra. 9% of residents with a credit file carry medical debt in collections — more than double the national median of 4%.
"Sierra County is where distress lives in the margins. A county where most households are running out of runway, even as the headline numbers stay quiet," 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 Sierra County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Sierra County's distress score?
How does Sierra County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Sierra County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →