#160 Top 500 Most Distressed Counties · 2026

Okmulgee County, Oklahoma

Most distressed fifth 160th of 3,144 counties nationally · 37,035 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
8% Okmulgee residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute (2024)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 35 words · paste-ready

Okmulgee County, Oklahoma ranks 160th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.

Key Findings
  • 160th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Most distressed fifth, 3rd in Oklahoma.
  • 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 87th percentile nationally.
  • Transfer-income dependency at 39% — national median 27%, ranked at the 92nd percentile.
  • Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 85th percentile.
  • Debt in collections at 35% — national median 23%, ranked at the 85th percentile.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 34-point drop to Wagoner County marks where the Oklahoma distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Okmulgee County, Oklahoma and its neighbors colored by distress fifth.
Okmulgee and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Okmulgee County ranks 160th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire quote — paste-ready, any angle 22 words

"Okmulgee 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 Okmulgee County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Okmulgee 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 Okmulgee County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Okmulgee OK median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 86 · Rank 353 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 8% 7% 5% 84th Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 8% 6% 5% 87th Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 34% 30% 23% 86th Urban Institute (2024)
Default & Legal — domain score 84 · Rank 298 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 35% 31% 23% 85th Urban Institute (2024)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 230 147 126 82nd US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 56 · Rank 1,248 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 21% 21% 21% 48th HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 20% 16% 18% 65th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 85 · Rank 473 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 5% 4% 4% 85th BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 86 · Rank 202 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 26% 23% 18% 82nd Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 21% 20% 16% 87th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 19% 17% 14% 83rd Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 39% 30% 27% 92nd BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 15% 14% 8% 89th 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.

Delinquency Primary driver 86
Weight 20% · Rank 353 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 86
Weight 20% · Rank 202 of 3,144
Labor 85
Weight 20% · Rank 473 of 3,144
Default & Legal 84
Weight 20% · Rank 298 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 56
Weight 20% · Rank 1,248 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 Okmulgee County data — in under 60 seconds.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/40111/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Okmulgee 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 147-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 147 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

OKMULGEE, Okla. — Okmulgee County ranks 160th 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 79 out of 100 places Okmulgee in the most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 159 counties rank more distressed. Within Oklahoma, Okmulgee ranks third 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 delinquency as the primary driver in Okmulgee. 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.

"Okmulgee 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.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Okmulgee County scores 79 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the most distressed fifth. It ranks 160th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 3rd of 77 Oklahoma counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Okmulgee County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 86. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 87th percentile nationally.

How does Okmulgee County compare to its neighbors?

Okmulgee County's neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Muskogee County (80.79, Most distressed fifth). Lowest: Wagoner County (46.76, Middle 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 →