Pecos County, Texas
More than double the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Pecos County, Texas ranks 891st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 12% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 891st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 62.6 · moderate-high county distress, 121st in Texas.
- 12% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 75th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Poverty rate at 21% — national median 14%, ranked at the 89th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Debt in collections at 46% — national median 23%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 29-point drop to Brewster County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
Pecos County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
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.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Pecos County's disability rate indicator is at the 5th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 64th percentile. The gap stands out against poverty rate and uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Fort Stockton.
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 Pecos County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Pecos County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Pecos | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 93 · Rank 117 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 7% | 5% | 94th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 7% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 37% | 32% | 23% | 91st | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 50 · Rank 1,535 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 46% | 35% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 20 | 78 | 126 | 5th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 30 · Rank 2,400 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 22% | 21% | 40th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 12% | 17% | 18% | 21st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 75 · Rank 745 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 75th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 64 · Rank 1,007 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 22% | 18% | 77th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 9% | 16% | 16% | 5th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 21% | 15% | 14% | 89th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 15% | 17% | 8% | 87th | 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 Pecos County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
FORT STOCKTON, Texas — Pecos County ranks 891st 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 62.6 out of 100 gives Pecos a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 890 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Pecos ranks 121st 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 Pecos. 12% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pecos County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Pecos County's distress score?
How does Pecos County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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