#2,321 New York · 2026

Yates County, New York

36.4 · low-moderate county distress 2,321st of 3,144 counties nationally · 24,472 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
7% Yates residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 32 words · paste-ready

Yates County, New York ranks 2,321st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Yates sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 2,321st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 36.4 · low-moderate county distress, 56th in New York.
  • 7% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 79th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Uninsured rate at 20% — national median 8%, ranked at the 96th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 39 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Default & Legal domain score 19 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 21-point drop to Ontario County marks where the New York distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Yates County, New York and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Yates and its 4 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Yates County ranks 2,321st of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Yates County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 32 words

The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Reporter's Notes

Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.

Data anomaly
Subprime credit share sits well below the rest of the Delinquency domain — the one indicator that doesn't fit

According to Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025), Yates County's subprime credit share indicator is at the 17th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Delinquency domain at or above the 75th percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Penn Yan.

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

3.4% -1.7 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

12.6% +1.1 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

27.3% +16.5 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

15.9% -6.5 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Yates County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Yates County's value shown alongside NY'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 Yates County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Yates NY median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 57 · Rank 1,315 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 4% 5% 75th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 7% 5% 5% 79th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 16% 21% 23% 17th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 19 · Rank 2,799 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 19% 19% 23% 36th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 29 108 126 2nd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 39 · Rank 2,033 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 20% 23% 21% 38th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 16% 23% 18% 40th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 19 · Rank 2,493 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 19th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 48 · Rank 1,658 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 18% 18% 18% 52nd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 11% 15% 16% 10th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 12% 14% 14% 40th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 20% 4% 8% 96th 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.

Delinquency Primary driver 57
Weight 20% · Rank 1,315 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 48
Weight 20% · Rank 1,658 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 39
Weight 20% · Rank 2,033 of 3,144
Default & Legal 19
Weight 20% · Rank 2,799 of 3,144
Labor 19
Weight 20% · Rank 2,493 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 Yates 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
Draft wire copy 126-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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PENN YAN, N.Y. — Yates County ranks 2,321st 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 36.4 out of 100 gives Yates a low-moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,320 counties rank more distressed. Within New York, Yates ranks 56th of 62 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, finds Yates sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

Yates County scores 36.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low-moderate county distress. It ranks 2,321st of 3,144 U.S. counties and 56th of 62 New York counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Yates County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 57. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 79th percentile nationally.

How does Yates County compare to its neighbors?

Yates County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Seneca County (55.44, moderate county distress). Lowest: Ontario County (34.23, 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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