#1,223 Texas · 2026

Hutchinson County, Texas

56.6 · moderate county distress 1,223rd of 3,144 counties nationally · 20,033 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
8% Hutchinson 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

Hutchinson County, Texas ranks 1,223rd 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
  • 1,223rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 56.6 · moderate county distress, 157th in Texas.
  • 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 85th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 60th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
  • Uninsured rate at 14% — national median 8%, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Debt in collections at 41% — national median 23%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
County Distress Index cluster map. Hutchinson County, Texas and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Hutchinson and its 4 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Hutchinson County ranks 1,223rd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 26 words

Hutchinson 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.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 31 words

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 Delinquency.

— 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

4.1% -0.7 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

14.4% +5.0 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

26.2% +19.9 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

31.9% -5.7 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Hutchinson County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Hutchinson 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 Hutchinson County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Hutchinson TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 78 · Rank 599 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 7% 5% 68th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 8% 7% 5% 85th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 32% 32% 23% 80th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 55 · Rank 1,318 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 41% 35% 23% 95th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 60 78 126 15th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 31 · Rank 2,370 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 18% 22% 21% 20th 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 60 · Rank 1,197 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 60th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 59 · Rank 1,216 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 17% 22% 18% 45th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 17% 16% 16% 63rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 14% 15% 14% 56th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 14% 17% 8% 87th 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 78
Weight 20% · Rank 599 of 3,144
Labor 60
Weight 20% · Rank 1,197 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 59
Weight 20% · Rank 1,216 of 3,144
Default & Legal 55
Weight 20% · Rank 1,318 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 31
Weight 20% · Rank 2,370 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 Hutchinson 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
Draft wire copy 129-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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STINNETT, Texas — Hutchinson County ranks 1,223rd 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 56.6 out of 100 gives Hutchinson a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,222 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Hutchinson ranks 157th 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 Hutchinson. 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 Hutchinson County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Hutchinson County scores 56.6 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate county distress. It ranks 1,223rd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 157th of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Hutchinson County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 78. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 85th percentile nationally.

How does Hutchinson County compare to its neighbors?

Hutchinson County's neighbors span two CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Hansford County (50.45, moderate 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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