#737 Oklahoma · 2026

Mayes County, Oklahoma

65.3 · moderate-high county distress 737th of 3,144 counties nationally · 39,889 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
24% Mayes residents
vs.
16% U.S. median

Above the national median for disability rate — and 8.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (San Juan County, CO — 3%).

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 39 words · paste-ready

Mayes County, Oklahoma ranks 737th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 24% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

Key Findings
  • 737th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 65.3 · moderate-high county distress, 42nd in Oklahoma.
  • 24% of residents report a disability (U.S. median 16%). Disability rate at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Bankruptcy filing rate at 228 — national median 126, ranked at the 82nd percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
  • Subprime credit share at 32% — national median 23%, ranked at the 80th percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
  • Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 67th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 25-point drop to Rogers County marks where the Oklahoma distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Mayes County, Oklahoma and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Mayes and its 5 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Mayes County ranks 737th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Mayes County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 34 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

— 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

3.4% -3.6 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

14.5% -3.6 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

32.2% +17.3 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

31.8% -4.8 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Mayes County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Mayes 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; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Mayes County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Mayes OK median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 70 · Rank 846 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 7% 5% 77th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 6% 6% 5% 54th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 32% 30% 23% 80th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 77 · Rank 511 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 29% 31% 23% 72nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 228 147 126 82nd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 34 · Rank 2,221 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 19% 21% 21% 27th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 17% 16% 18% 42nd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 67 · Rank 990 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 67th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 78 · Rank 469 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 23% 23% 18% 73rd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 24% 20% 16% 95th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 17% 17% 14% 72nd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 16% 14% 8% 90th 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.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 78
Weight 20% · Rank 469 of 3,144
Default & Legal 77
Weight 20% · Rank 511 of 3,144
Delinquency 70
Weight 20% · Rank 846 of 3,144
Labor 67
Weight 20% · Rank 990 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 34
Weight 20% · Rank 2,221 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 Mayes 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 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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PRYOR CREEK, Okla. — Mayes County ranks 737th 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 65.3 out of 100 gives Mayes a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 736 counties rank more distressed. Within Oklahoma, Mayes ranks 42nd 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 Mayes. 24% of residents report a disability — above the national median of 16%.

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 Mayes County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Mayes County scores 65.3 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-high county distress. It ranks 737th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 42nd of 77 Oklahoma counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Mayes County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 78. Disability rate ranks at the 95th percentile nationally.

How does Mayes County compare to its neighbors?

Mayes County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Delaware County (73.56, high county distress). Lowest: Rogers County (48.22, moderate-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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