Goliad County, Texas
Above the national median for unemployment — and 5.1× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Goliad County, Texas ranks 1,104th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 5% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
- 1,104th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 58.9 · moderate county distress, 150th in Texas.
- 5% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 87th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Uninsured rate at 13% — national median 8%, ranked at the 81st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 78th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 27% — national median 21%, ranked at the 89th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Goliad County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to Urban Institute Debt in America (2025), Goliad County's credit card delinquency indicator is at the 11th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Delinquency domain at or above the 70th percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Goliad.
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 Goliad County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Goliad County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Goliad | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 53 · Rank 1,461 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 78th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 7% | 5% | 11th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 29% | 32% | 23% | 70th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 40 · Rank 1,973 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 24% | 35% | 23% | 53rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 84 | 78 | 126 | 28th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 52 · Rank 1,446 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 27% | 22% | 21% | 89th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 11% | 17% | 18% | 16th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 87 · Rank 378 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 87th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 61 · Rank 1,134 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 22% | 22% | 18% | 71st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 16% | 16% | 16% | 56th | 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 | 13% | 17% | 8% | 81st | 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 Goliad County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 126-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
GOLIAD, Texas — Goliad County ranks 1,104th 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 58.9 out of 100 gives Goliad a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,103 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Goliad ranks 150th 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 labor as the primary driver in Goliad. 5% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
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 Goliad County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Goliad County's distress score?
How does Goliad County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Goliad County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →