#853 Texas · 2026

Foard County, Texas

63.4 · moderate-high county distress 853rd of 3,144 counties nationally · 1,079 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
36% Foard residents
vs.
18% U.S. median

More than double the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).

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

Main Findings

Wire lede · 45 words · paste-ready

Foard County, Texas ranks 853rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 36% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — more than double the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 853rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 63.4 · moderate-high county distress, 114th in Texas.
  • 36% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Uninsured rate at 14% — national median 8%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 74th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Debt in collections at 35% — national median 23%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 35-point drop to King County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Foard County, Texas and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Foard and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Foard County ranks 853rd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Foard County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 34 words

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 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

3.1% +1.4 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

16.2% -2.4 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

36.3% +21.9 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

17.8% -13.3 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Foard County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Foard County's value shown alongside TX'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 Foard County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Foard TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 57 · Rank 1,312 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 18% 32% 23% 24th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 55 · Rank 1,292 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 35% 35% 23% 86th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 78 78 126 25th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 82 · Rank 337 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 23% 22% 21% 69th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 36% 17% 18% 95th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 41 · Rank 1,779 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 41st U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 81 · Rank 337 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 26% 22% 18% 82nd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 20% 16% 16% 81st 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 14% 17% 8% 84th 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 82
Weight 20% · Rank 337 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 81
Weight 20% · Rank 337 of 3,144
Delinquency 57
Weight 20% · Rank 1,312 of 3,144
Default & Legal 55
Weight 20% · Rank 1,292 of 3,144
Labor 41
Weight 20% · Rank 1,779 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 Foard County data — in under 60 seconds.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/48155/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Foard County, TX — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 134-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 134 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

CROWELL, Texas — Foard County ranks 853rd 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 63.4 out of 100 gives Foard a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 852 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Foard ranks 114th 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 Foard. 36% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — more than double 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 Foard County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Foard County scores 63.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-high county distress. It ranks 853rd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 114th of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Foard County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis), at a domain score of 82. Severe rent burden (50%+) ranks at the 95th percentile nationally.

How does Foard County compare to its neighbors?

Foard County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Hardeman County (67.24, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: King County (32.65, low-moderate 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.

Read more
from Ross →