Donley County, Texas
Above the national median for auto loan delinquency.
Main Findings
Donley County, Texas ranks 1,034th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 7% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 1,034th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 60.3 · moderate-high county distress, 141st in Texas.
- 7% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 74th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Uninsured rate at 13% — national median 8%, ranked at the 82nd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 64th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 24% — national median 21%, ranked at the 73rd percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 24-point drop to Armstrong County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
Donley 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 Delinquency.
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), Donley County's disability rate indicator is at the 8th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 72nd percentile. The gap stands out against median household income. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Clarendon.
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 Donley County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Donley County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Donley | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 69 · Rank 898 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 74th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 73rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 26% | 32% | 23% | 60th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 45 · Rank 1,769 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 35% | 35% | 23% | 85th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 31 | 78 | 126 | 5th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 57 · Rank 1,211 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 22% | 21% | 73rd | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 17% | 17% | 18% | 42nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 64 · Rank 1,088 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 64th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 66 · Rank 928 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 26% | 22% | 18% | 81st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 16% | 16% | 8th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 17% | 15% | 14% | 72nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 13% | 17% | 8% | 82nd | 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 Donley County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CLARENDON, Texas — Donley County ranks 1,034th 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 60.3 out of 100 gives Donley a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,033 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Donley ranks 141st 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 delinquency as the primary driver in Donley. 7% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
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 Donley County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Donley County's distress score?
How does Donley County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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