#2,894 Ohio · 2026

Medina County, Ohio

22.5 · low county distress 2,894th of 3,144 counties nationally · 184,042 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
172 Medina residents
vs.
126 U.S. median

Above the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 23.6× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 33 words · paste-ready

Medina County, Ohio ranks 2,894th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Medina sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.

Key Findings
  • 2,894th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 22.5 · low county distress, 80th in Ohio.
  • A bankruptcy filing rate of 172 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 68th percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 30 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Delinquency domain score 19 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Labor domain score 13 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
County Distress Index cluster map. Medina County, Ohio and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Medina and its 5 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Medina County ranks 2,894th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

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

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 28 words

The CDI gives this county a low county distress label. The score is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.

— 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

3.5% -1.1 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

6.1% +1.4 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

16.8% +11.9 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

15.0% -6.9 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Medina County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Medina County's value shown alongside OH'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 Medina County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Medina OH median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 19 · Rank 2,646 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 4% 5% 5% 31st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 3% 5% 5% 13th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 15% 24% 23% 13th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 41 · Rank 1,943 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 14% 24% 23% 15th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 172 187 126 68th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 30 · Rank 2,422 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 17% 20% 21% 12th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 18% 18% 18% 48th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 13 · Rank 2,697 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 3% 4% 13th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 10 · Rank 3,014 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 9% 17% 18% 7th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 13% 15% 16% 21st U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 8% 13% 14% 5th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 4% 6% 8% 9th 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.

Default & Legal Primary driver 41
Weight 20% · Rank 1,943 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 30
Weight 20% · Rank 2,422 of 3,144
Delinquency 19
Weight 20% · Rank 2,646 of 3,144
Labor 13
Weight 20% · Rank 2,697 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 10
Weight 20% · Rank 3,014 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 Medina 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 124-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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MEDINA, Ohio — Medina County ranks 2,894th 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 22.5 out of 100 gives Medina a low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,893 counties rank more distressed. Within Ohio, Medina ranks 80th of 88 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 Medina 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.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Medina County scores 22.5 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low county distress. It ranks 2,894th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 80th of 88 Ohio counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Medina County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal, at a domain score of 41. Bankruptcy filing rate ranks at the 68th percentile nationally.

How does Medina County compare to its neighbors?

Medina County's neighbors span 5 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Cuyahoga County (62.85, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Wayne County (27.50, low 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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