Limestone County, Texas
More than double the national median for uninsured rate.
Main Findings
Limestone County, Texas ranks 487th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 18% of residents lack health insurance — more than double the national median of 8%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 487th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 70.0 · high county distress, 53rd in Texas.
- 18% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 94th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Subprime credit share at 34% — national median 23%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 67th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 22% — national median 18%, ranked at the 76th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 15-point drop to Leon County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
Limestone County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
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 Limestone County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Limestone County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Limestone | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 76 · Rank 646 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 75th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 70th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 32% | 23% | 84th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 61 · Rank 1,048 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 37% | 35% | 23% | 90th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 94 | 78 | 126 | 33rd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 66 · Rank 873 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 57th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 22% | 17% | 18% | 76th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 67 · Rank 990 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 67th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 79 · Rank 400 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 26% | 22% | 18% | 81st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 16% | 16% | 66th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 18% | 15% | 14% | 78th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 18% | 17% | 8% | 94th | 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 Limestone County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
GROESBECK, Texas — Limestone County ranks 487th 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 70.0 out of 100 gives Limestone a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 486 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Limestone ranks 53rd 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 safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Limestone. 18% of residents lack health insurance — more than double the national median of 8%.
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 Limestone County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Limestone County's distress score?
How does Limestone County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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