Custer County, Oklahoma
Above the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 16.7× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Custer County, Oklahoma ranks 1,321st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 32% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 1,321st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 55.0 · moderate county distress, 57th in Oklahoma.
- 32% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 80th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Poverty rate at 18% — national median 14%, ranked at the 79th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 22% — national median 18%, ranked at the 73rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Subprime credit share at 28% — national median 23%, ranked at the 67th percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 31-point drop to Dewey County marks where the Oklahoma distress corridor ends.
Custer County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Custer County's disability rate indicator is at the 20th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 66th percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Arapaho.
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 Custer County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Custer County's value shown alongside OK's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Custer | OK median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 46 · Rank 1,712 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 7% | 5% | 55th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 6% | 5% | 16th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 28% | 30% | 23% | 67th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 63 · Rank 982 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 32% | 31% | 23% | 80th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 120 | 147 | 126 | 47th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 58 · Rank 1,196 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 21% | 21% | 42nd | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 22% | 16% | 18% | 73rd | 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 62 · Rank 1,091 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 21% | 23% | 18% | 66th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 12% | 20% | 16% | 20th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 18% | 17% | 14% | 79th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 12% | 14% | 8% | 74th | 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 Custer County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
ARAPAHO, Okla. — Custer County ranks 1,321st 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 55.0 out of 100 gives Custer a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,320 counties rank more distressed. Within Oklahoma, Custer ranks 57th 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 default & legal as the primary driver in Custer. 32% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%.
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
What is Custer County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Custer County's distress score?
How does Custer County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Custer County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →