Brazos County, Texas
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Brazos County, Texas ranks 1,370th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 33% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
- 1,370th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 159th in Texas.
- 33% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 99th percentile nationally.
- Auto loan delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 79th percentile.
- Poverty rate at 24% — national median 14%, ranked at the 94th percentile.
- Debt in collections at 26% — national median 23%, ranked at the 59th percentile.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 23-point drop to Burleson County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
"Brazos County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Brazos County's disability rate indicator is at the 6th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 7th percentile. The gap stands out against poverty rate. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Bryan.
The Indicators Behind Brazos County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Brazos County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Brazos | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 65 · Rank 1,058 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 7% | 5% | 79th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 7% | 5% | 49th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 27% | 32% | 23% | 66th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 34 · Rank 2,241 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 26% | 35% | 23% | 59th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 49 | 78 | 126 | 9th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 91 · Rank 132 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 26% | 22% | 21% | 82nd | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 33% | 17% | 18% | 99th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 31 · Rank 2,198 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 31st | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 50 · Rank 1,581 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 19% | 22% | 18% | 56th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 10% | 16% | 16% | 6th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 24% | 15% | 14% | 94th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 15% | 26% | 27% | 7th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 12% | 17% | 8% | 77th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
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 Brazos County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 155-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
BRYAN, Texas — Brazos County ranks 1,370th 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 54 out of 100 places Brazos in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,369 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Brazos ranks 159th of 254 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 debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Brazos. 33% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
"Brazos County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brazos County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Brazos County's distress score?
How does Brazos County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Brazos County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →