Dallas County, Texas
Above the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 2.6× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Steele County, ND — 12%).
Main Findings
Dallas County, Texas ranks 400th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a rent-to-income ratio of 31% — above the national median of 21%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 400th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 72.3 · high county distress, 41st in Texas.
- A rent-to-income ratio of 31% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 97th percentile nationally. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Auto loan delinquency at 9% — national median 5%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Debt in collections at 37% — national median 23%, ranked at the 89th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 67th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 26-point drop to Collin County marks where the Dallas metro distress corridor ends.
Dallas County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Dallas County's disability rate indicator is at the 7th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 23rd percentile. The gap stands out against uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Dallas.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Dallas County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Dallas County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Dallas | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 83 · Rank 446 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 7% | 5% | 86th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 78th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 32% | 23% | 85th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 76 · Rank 544 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 37% | 35% | 23% | 89th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 160 | 78 | 126 | 63rd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 88 · Rank 201 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 31% | 22% | 21% | 97th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 23% | 17% | 18% | 79th | 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 48 · Rank 1,663 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 22% | 18% | 59th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 16% | 16% | 7th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 15% | 14% | 52nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 22% | 17% | 8% | 98th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (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), 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 Dallas County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 127-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DALLAS, Texas — Dallas County ranks 400th 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 72.3 out of 100 gives Dallas a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 399 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Dallas ranks 41st of 254 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 Dallas. A rent-to-income ratio of 31% — above the national median of 21%.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dallas County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Dallas County's distress score?
How does Dallas County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Dallas County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →