#396 Top 500 Most Distressed Counties · 2026

Haskell County, Oklahoma

Most distressed fifth 396th of 3,144 counties nationally · 11,832 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
40% Haskell residents
vs.
27% U.S. median

Above the national median for transfer-income dependency — and 22.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Teton County, WY — 2%).

BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)

Main Findings

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Haskell County, Oklahoma ranks 396th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 40% of personal income comes from government transfers — above the national median of 27%.

Key Findings
  • 396th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Most distressed fifth, 15th in Oklahoma.
  • 40% of personal income comes from government transfers (U.S. median 27%). Transfer-income dependency at the 94th percentile nationally.
  • Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 84th percentile.
  • Subprime credit share at 36% — national median 23%, ranked at the 90th percentile.
  • Debt in collections at 34% — national median 23%, ranked at the 84th percentile.
Distinctive Signals
Labor–Credit Divergence

Unemployment is 5%, near the national median of 4%, while subprime credit share runs at the 90th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.

County Distress Index cluster map. Haskell County, Oklahoma and its neighbors colored by distress fifth.
Haskell and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Haskell County ranks 396th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire quote — paste-ready, any angle 22 words

"Haskell County ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research
Analyst quote — for feature use 29 words

"The CDI places this county in the most distressed fifth nationally. The rank is the important geography signal: it compares the county with every other county-equivalent in the release."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research

The Indicators Behind Haskell County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Haskell County's value shown alongside OK'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 Haskell County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Haskell OK median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 73 · Rank 746 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 6% 7% 5% 57th Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 7% 6% 5% 71st Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 36% 30% 23% 90th Urban Institute (2024)
Default & Legal — domain score 71 · Rank 706 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 34% 31% 23% 84th Urban Institute (2024)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 144 147 126 58th US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 44 · Rank 1,800 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 23% 21% 21% 65th HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 13% 16% 18% 24th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 84 · Rank 514 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 5% 4% 4% 84th BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 87 · Rank 169 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 25% 23% 18% 81st Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 21% 20% 16% 86th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 17% 17% 14% 75th Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 40% 30% 27% 94th BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 17% 14% 8% 92nd 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.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 87
Weight 20% · Rank 169 of 3,144
Labor 84
Weight 20% · Rank 514 of 3,144
Delinquency 73
Weight 20% · Rank 746 of 3,144
Default & Legal 71
Weight 20% · Rank 706 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 44
Weight 20% · Rank 1,800 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 Haskell County data — in under 60 seconds.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/40061/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Haskell County, OK — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 148-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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STIGLER, Okla. — Haskell County ranks 396th 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 72 out of 100 places Haskell in the most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 395 counties rank more distressed. Within Oklahoma, Haskell ranks 15th of 77 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, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Haskell. 40% of personal income comes from government transfers — above the national median of 27%.

"Haskell County ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

Haskell County scores 72 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the most distressed fifth. It ranks 396th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 15th of 77 Oklahoma counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Haskell County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 87. Transfer-income dependency ranks at the 94th percentile nationally.

How does Haskell County compare to its neighbors?

Haskell County's neighbors span 1 CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Muskogee County (80.79, Most distressed fifth). Lowest: Latimer County (70.83, Most 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.

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