#1,010 Texas · 2026

Gray County, Texas

60.6 · moderate-high county distress 1,010th of 3,144 counties nationally · 20,916 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
8% Gray residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 40 words · paste-ready

Gray County, Texas ranks 1,010th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 1,010th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 60.6 · moderate-high county distress, 135th in Texas.
  • 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 84th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Uninsured rate at 18% — national median 8%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Severe rent burden (50%+) at 20% — national median 18%, ranked at the 65th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 57th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 20-point drop to Carson County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Gray County, Texas and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Gray and its 4 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Gray County ranks 1,010th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Gray 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 31 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 Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Reporter's Notes

Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.

Data anomaly
Disability rate sits well below the rest of the Safety Net & Buffer domain — the one indicator that doesn't fit

According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Gray County's disability rate indicator is at the 19th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 69th percentile. The gap stands out against uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Pampa.

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

3.9% -0.4 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

15.4% +4.0 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

24.2% +17.1 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

30.5% -8.6 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Gray County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Gray 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 Gray County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Gray TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 69 · Rank 923 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 5% 7% 5% 45th 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 31% 32% 23% 76th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 50 · Rank 1,514 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 36% 35% 23% 88th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 57 78 126 13th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 61 · Rank 1,066 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 22% 22% 21% 58th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 20% 17% 18% 65th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 57 · Rank 1,301 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 57th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 66 · Rank 952 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 12% 16% 16% 19th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 17% 15% 14% 75th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 18% 17% 8% 95th 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.

Delinquency Primary driver 69
Weight 20% · Rank 923 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 66
Weight 20% · Rank 952 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 61
Weight 20% · Rank 1,066 of 3,144
Labor 57
Weight 20% · Rank 1,301 of 3,144
Default & Legal 50
Weight 20% · Rank 1,514 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 Gray County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
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PAMPA, Texas — Gray County ranks 1,010th 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 60.6 out of 100 gives Gray a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,009 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Gray ranks 135th 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 Gray. 8% of credit card 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.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gray County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Gray County scores 60.6 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-high county distress. It ranks 1,010th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 135th of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Gray County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 69. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 84th percentile nationally.

How does Gray County compare to its neighbors?

Gray County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Donley County (60.29, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Carson County (40.14, moderate-low 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.

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