#2,485 Texas · 2026

Kendall County, Texas

33.1 · low-moderate county distress 2,485th of 3,144 counties nationally · 50,537 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
30% Kendall residents
vs.
18% U.S. median

Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).

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

Main Findings

Wire lede · 34 words · paste-ready

Kendall County, Texas ranks 2,485th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Kendall sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 2,485th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 33.1 · low-moderate county distress, 247th in Texas.
  • 30% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 98th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Uninsured rate at 11% — national median 8%, ranked at the 73rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Default & Legal domain score 29 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Safety Net & Buffer domain score 20 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span five CDI score labels. The 42-point drop to Gillespie County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Kendall County, Texas and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Kendall and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Kendall County ranks 2,485th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Kendall County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 35 words

The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. 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

3.5% +1.3 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

6.5% -2.1 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

13.4% +4.5 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

15.3% -5.6 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Kendall County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Kendall 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 Kendall County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Kendall TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 14 · Rank 2,862 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 3% 7% 5% 19th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 3% 7% 5% 8th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 15% 32% 23% 14th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 29 · Rank 2,439 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 16% 35% 23% 22nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 99 78 126 36th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 57 · Rank 1,220 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 18% 22% 21% 16th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 30% 17% 18% 98th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 46 · Rank 1,645 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 46th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 20 · Rank 2,754 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 9% 22% 18% 7th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 12% 16% 16% 17th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 7% 15% 14% 4th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 11% 17% 8% 73rd 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 57
Weight 20% · Rank 1,220 of 3,144
Labor 46
Weight 20% · Rank 1,645 of 3,144
Default & Legal 29
Weight 20% · Rank 2,439 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 20
Weight 20% · Rank 2,754 of 3,144
Delinquency 14
Weight 20% · Rank 2,862 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 Kendall 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 124-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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BOERNE, Texas — Kendall County ranks 2,485th 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 33.1 out of 100 gives Kendall a low-moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,484 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Kendall ranks 247th 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, finds Kendall sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

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 Kendall County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Kendall County scores 33.1 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low-moderate county distress. It ranks 2,485th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 247th of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Kendall County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis), at a domain score of 57. Severe rent burden (50%+) ranks at the 98th percentile nationally.

How does Kendall County compare to its neighbors?

Kendall County's neighbors span 5 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Bexar County (70.32, high county distress). Lowest: Gillespie County (28.45, 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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