Alfalfa County, Oklahoma
Above the national median for poverty rate — and 6.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Lincoln County, SD — 3%).
Main Findings
Alfalfa County, Oklahoma ranks 1,628th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 14%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 1,628th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 49.3 · moderate-low county distress, 66th in Oklahoma.
- 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line (U.S. median 14%). Poverty rate at the 85th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Credit card delinquency at 11% — national median 5%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Debt in collections at 25% — national median 23%, ranked at the 56th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Default & Legal domain score 30 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 31-point drop to Barber County, KS marks a cross-border distress gradient.
Alfalfa 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 Safety Net & Buffer.
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 Alfalfa County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Alfalfa County's value shown alongside OK's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Alfalfa | OK median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 70 · Rank 864 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 68th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 6% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 23% | 30% | 23% | 47th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 30 · Rank 2,392 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 25% | 31% | 23% | 56th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 35 | 147 | 126 | 5th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 29 · Rank 2,433 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 21% | 21% | 34th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 13% | 16% | 18% | 25th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 46 · Rank 1,645 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 46th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 71 · Rank 757 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 22% | 23% | 18% | 67th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 20% | 16% | 66th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 17% | 14% | 85th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 14% | 8% | 70th | 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 Alfalfa County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 131-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CHEROKEE, Okla. — Alfalfa County ranks 1,628th 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 49.3 out of 100 gives Alfalfa a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,627 counties rank more distressed. Within Oklahoma, Alfalfa ranks 66th of 77 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 safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Alfalfa. 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 14%.
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
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