#1,616 Oklahoma · 2026

Woods County, Oklahoma

49.4 · moderate-low county distress 1,616th of 3,144 counties nationally · 8,564 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
25% Woods residents
vs.
18% U.S. median

Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).

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

Main Findings

Wire lede · 43 words · paste-ready

Woods County, Oklahoma ranks 1,616th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 25% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 1,616th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 49.4 · moderate-low county distress, 65th in Oklahoma.
  • 25% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 88th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Poverty rate at 18% — national median 14%, ranked at the 78th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Credit card delinquency at 6% — national median 5%, ranked at the 52nd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Delinquency domain score 41 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 24-point drop to Barber County, KS marks a cross-border distress gradient.

County Distress Index cluster map. Woods County, Oklahoma and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Woods and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Woods County ranks 1,616th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 18 words

Woods County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 33 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).

— 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

2.7% -0.2 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

14.9% +1.4 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

24.1% +12.8 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

21.5% -8.3 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Woods County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Woods 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 Woods County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Woods OK median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 41 · Rank 1,905 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 4% 7% 5% 29th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 6% 6% 5% 52nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 22% 30% 23% 41st Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 27 · Rank 2,533 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 22% 31% 23% 45th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 47 147 126 8th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 67 · Rank 839 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 21% 21% 21% 46th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 25% 16% 18% 88th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 49 · Rank 1,534 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 49th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 63 · Rank 1,055 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 19% 23% 18% 58th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 17% 20% 16% 59th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 18% 17% 14% 78th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 8% 14% 8% 53rd 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.

Debt Burden (housing basis) Primary driver 67
Weight 20% · Rank 839 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 63
Weight 20% · Rank 1,055 of 3,144
Labor 49
Weight 20% · Rank 1,534 of 3,144
Delinquency 41
Weight 20% · Rank 1,905 of 3,144
Default & Legal 27
Weight 20% · Rank 2,533 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 Woods 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 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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ALVA, Okla. — Woods County ranks 1,616th 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 49.4 out of 100 gives Woods a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,615 counties rank more distressed. Within Oklahoma, Woods ranks 65th 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 debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Woods. 25% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.

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

Woods County scores 49.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-low county distress. It ranks 1,616th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 65th of 77 Oklahoma counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Woods County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis), at a domain score of 67. Severe rent burden (50%+) ranks at the 88th percentile nationally.

How does Woods County compare to its neighbors?

Woods County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Woodward County (51.68, moderate county distress). Lowest: Barber County, KS (27.63, 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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