Payne County, Oklahoma

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.0 | 83,352 people · 41st most distressed in Oklahoma
American Default Research

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Payne County, OK registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.0 — 909th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Oklahoma, it ranks 41st of 77 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Payne County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 79.8 — worse than roughly 80% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 79.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 99
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 99
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 46
Homeownership Rate 98
Rent-to-Income Ratio 57
Income & Poverty 66.1
Poverty Rate 91
Income vs. State Median 47
Child Poverty Rate 61
Community Vulnerability 50.5
Uninsured Rate 75
Disability Rate 26
Debt & Delinquency 50.2
Debt in Collections 68
Medical Debt 95
Student Loan Delinquency 4
Auto Loan Delinquency 50
Credit Card Delinquency 39
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 46
Employment & Wages 48.2
Unemployment Rate 45
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 40
Business Formation Rate 60

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Payne County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Payne County
Payne County, OK 59.0 Elevated —
Pawnee County, OK 61.9 Elevated +2.9
Lincoln County, OK 58.4 Elevated -0.6
Creek County, OK 55.1 Elevated -3.9
Logan County, OK 46.9 Normal -12.1
Noble County, OK 45.9 Normal -13.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Payne County
Rusk County, TX 59.1 Elevated +0.1
Saginaw County, MI 59.2 Elevated +0.3
Somerset County, ME 58.7 Elevated -0.3
Wicomico County, MD 59.3 Elevated +0.4
Greene County, TN 58.6 Elevated -0.4

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Payne County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Payne County

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Oklahoma Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Oklahoma Bar Association Lawyer Referral 405-416-7000

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Legal aid organizations serving Payne County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma 1-888-534-5243

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Payne County, Oklahoma?

    Payne County has a County Distress Index score of 59.0 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 909th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 41st in Oklahoma out of 77 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Payne County?

    The primary driver of distress in Payne County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 79.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Payne County compare to neighboring counties?

    Payne County (59.0) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Pawnee County, OK (61.9); Lincoln County, OK (58.4); Creek County, OK (55.1).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Payne County?

    Payne County, Oklahoma has a population of approximately 83,352 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.