Frio County, Texas
More than double the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 25.6× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Frio County, Texas ranks 346th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 49% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — more than double the national median of 23%.
- 346th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Serious zone, 48th in Texas.
- 49% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Poverty rate at 26% — national median 14%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Business formation rate at 6.5 — national median 10.0, ranked at the 93rd percentile.
- Homeownership rate at 63% — national median 74%, ranked at the 89th percentile.
Unemployment is 6%, near the national median of 4%, while debt in collections runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
"The distress in Frio County reads as a credit story — household balance sheets carrying debt that's grown faster than incomes can absorb. Housing pressure compounds it; job loss is rarely the trigger."
"Serious-zone counties are where consumer credit distress accumulates while the labor market still reads stable. The cost curve — housing, health, financing — runs faster than wage growth can absorb."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Frio County's wage-to-rent ratio indicator is at the 14th percentile — while every other indicator in the Economic Vitality domain sits at or above the 70th percentile. The gap stands out against rent-to-income ratio and business formation rate. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Pearsall.
36% of children under 18 in Frio County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
The Indicators Behind Frio County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Frio County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Frio | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Credit Distress — domain score 94 · Rank 26 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 49% | 35% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Medical debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have medical debt in collections | 11% | 9% | 4% | 93rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 7% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 7% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 16% | 17% | 8% | 90th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 47% | 32% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Housing Cost Burden — domain score 44 · Rank 1,797 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent burden (30%+) Share of renter households paying 30%+ of income on rent | 34% | 37% | 38% | 35th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 15% | 17% | 18% | 34th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Owner housing burden Share of owner households paying 30%+ of income on housing | 22% | 23% | 24% | 38th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Homeownership rate Share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied | 63% | 74% | 74% | 89th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Structural Poverty — domain score 81 · Rank 340 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 4% | 4% | 78th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 26% | 15% | 14% | 95th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Household income relative to state Median household income as share of state median | 0.83× | 1.00× | 1.00× | 87th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 36% | 22% | 18% | 95th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 20% | 16% | 16% | 80th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 29% | 26% | 27% | 59th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Legal Distress — domain score 10 · Rank 2,840 of 3,144 | |||||
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 50 | 78 | 126 | 10th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Economic Vitality — domain score 52 · Rank 1,421 of 3,144 | |||||
| Wage-to-rent ratio Ratio of average weekly wage to fair-market rent | 4.8× | 4.1× | 4.0× | 14th | BLS QCEW × HUD FMR (2024) |
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 26% | 22% | 21% | 85th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Business formation rate New business applications per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 10.5 | 10.0 | 93rd | Census Business Formation Statistics (2024) |
| House price change (yoy) House price index year-over-year change | 2% | 2% | 4% | 70th | FHFA HPI (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is a PCA-weighted composite of five statistically derived factors. Weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance across 3,144 counties.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 represents the national county median; higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from 21 indicators grouped into five statistically derived factors via principal component analysis (PCA); factor weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance (shown in the Five-Domain Breakdown above).
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 Frio County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 161-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
PEARSALL, Texas — Frio County ranks 346th 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 71 out of 100 places Frio in the "Serious" zone. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 345 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Frio ranks 48th of 254 counties.
The index, which draws on 21 indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies consumer credit distress as the primary driver in Frio. 49% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — more than double the national median of 23%.
"The distress in Frio County reads as a credit story — household balance sheets carrying debt that's grown faster than incomes can absorb. Housing pressure compounds it; job loss is rarely the trigger," 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
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