#2,697 Texas · 2026

Lipscomb County, Texas

28.1 · low county distress 2,697th of 3,144 counties nationally · 2,906 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
18% Lipscomb residents
vs.
8% U.S. median

More than double the national median for uninsured rate.

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

Main Findings

Wire lede · 34 words · paste-ready

Lipscomb County, Texas ranks 2,697th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Lipscomb sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

Key Findings
  • 2,697th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 28.1 · low county distress, 253rd in Texas.
  • 18% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 74th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Labor domain score 26 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Default & Legal domain score 16 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
County Distress Index cluster map. Lipscomb County, Texas and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Lipscomb and its 5 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Lipscomb County ranks 2,697th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

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

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 29 words

The CDI gives this county a low county distress label. The score is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

— 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

3.2% +0.8 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

13.4% +4.5 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

9.1% +2.1 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

19.3% -11.4 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Lipscomb County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Lipscomb 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 Lipscomb County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Lipscomb TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 37 · Rank 2,024 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 7% 5% 74th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 2% 7% 5% 5th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 19% 32% 23% 31st Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 16 · Rank 2,885 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 17% 35% 23% 27th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 34 78 126 5th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 14 · Rank 2,970 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 17% 22% 21% 14th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 10% 17% 18% 13th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 26 · Rank 2,269 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 26th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 48 · Rank 1,638 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 13% 16% 16% 23rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 13% 15% 14% 42nd 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.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 48
Weight 20% · Rank 1,638 of 3,144
Delinquency 37
Weight 20% · Rank 2,024 of 3,144
Labor 26
Weight 20% · Rank 2,269 of 3,144
Default & Legal 16
Weight 20% · Rank 2,885 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 14
Weight 20% · Rank 2,970 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 Lipscomb 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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LIPSCOMB, Texas — Lipscomb County ranks 2,697th 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 28.1 out of 100 gives Lipscomb a low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,696 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Lipscomb ranks 253rd 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 Lipscomb 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 Lipscomb County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Lipscomb County scores 28.1 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low county distress. It ranks 2,697th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 253rd of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Lipscomb County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 48. Uninsured rate ranks at the 95th percentile nationally.

How does Lipscomb County compare to its neighbors?

Lipscomb County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Ellis County, OK (60.55, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Beaver County, OK (33.53, low-moderate 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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