#2,940 Ohio · 2026

Warren County, Ohio

Least distressed fifth 2,940th of 3,144 counties nationally · 252,148 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
126 Warren residents
vs.
126 U.S. median

Near the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 17.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).

US Courts F-5A (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 26 words · paste-ready

Warren County, Ohio ranks 2,940th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Warren sits near the national median across major distress indicators.

Key Findings
  • 2,940th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Least distressed fifth, 82nd in Ohio.
  • A bankruptcy filing rate of 126 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 50th percentile nationally.
  • Severe rent burden (50%+) at 18% — national median 18%, ranked at the 54th percentile.
  • Delinquency domain score 21 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
  • Labor domain score 21 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
County Distress Index cluster map. Warren County, Ohio and its neighbors colored by distress fifth.
Warren and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Warren County ranks 2,940th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire quote — paste-ready, any angle 23 words

"Warren County ranks in the least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research
Analyst quote — for feature use 25 words

"The CDI places this county in the least distressed fifth nationally. The rank is a comparative geography measure across counties, not a national ADI band."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research

The Indicators Behind Warren County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Warren 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, where 50 = U.S. county median and higher = more distressed. Percentile is Warren County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Warren OH median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 21 · Rank 2,557 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 4% 5% 5% 34th Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 3% 5% 5% 13th Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 16% 24% 23% 17th Urban Institute (2024)
Default & Legal — domain score 35 · Rank 2,219 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 15% 24% 23% 19th Urban Institute (2024)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 126 187 126 50th US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 28 · Rank 2,485 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 15% 20% 21% 3rd HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 18% 18% 18% 54th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 21 · Rank 2,517 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 3% 4% 21st BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 4 · Rank 3,124 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 6% 17% 18% 2nd Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 10% 15% 16% 7th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 6% 13% 14% 2nd Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 13% 26% 27% 4th BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 4% 6% 8% 5th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Data compiled April 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax 2024 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS Dec 2025, QCEW 2024), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2024).

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 35
Weight 20% · Rank 2,219 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 28
Weight 20% · Rank 2,485 of 3,144
Delinquency 21
Weight 20% · Rank 2,557 of 3,144
Labor 21
Weight 20% · Rank 2,517 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 4
Weight 20% · Rank 3,124 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), 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 Warren County data — in under 60 seconds.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/39165/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Warren County, OH — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 143-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 143 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

LEBANON, Ohio — Warren County ranks 2,940th 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 out of 100 places Warren in the least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,939 counties rank more distressed. Within Ohio, Warren ranks 82nd of 88 counties.

The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Warren sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

"Warren County ranks in the least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Warren County scores 22 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the least distressed fifth. It ranks 2,940th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 82nd of 88 Ohio counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Warren County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal, at a domain score of 35. Bankruptcy filing rate ranks at the 50th percentile nationally.

How does Warren County compare to its neighbors?

Warren County's neighbors span 4 CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Montgomery County (62.88, Second-most distressed fifth). Lowest: Greene County (31.52, Least distressed fifth).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 16 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.

Read more
from Ross →