Delta County, Texas
Above the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 21.2× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Delta County, Texas ranks 932nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 41% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
- 932nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 62.0 · moderate-high county distress, 124th in Texas.
- 41% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 70th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Disability rate at 22% — national median 16%, ranked at the 88th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Credit card delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 27-point drop to Franklin County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
Delta County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.
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 Delta County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Delta County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Delta | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 64 · Rank 1,081 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 7% | 5% | 28th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 7% | 5% | 84th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 32% | 32% | 23% | 81st | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 73 · Rank 648 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 41% | 35% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 127 | 78 | 126 | 50th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 36 · Rank 2,169 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 22% | 21% | 45th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 14% | 17% | 18% | 27th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 70 · Rank 902 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 70th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 67 · Rank 901 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 22% | 22% | 18% | 72nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 22% | 16% | 16% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 15% | 15% | 14% | 62nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 8% | 17% | 8% | 46th | 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 Delta County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
COOPER, Texas — Delta County ranks 932nd 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 62.0 out of 100 gives Delta a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 931 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Delta ranks 124th 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 default & legal as the primary driver in Delta. 41% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — above the national median of 23%.
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 Delta County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Delta County's distress score?
How does Delta County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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