#965 Texas · 2026

Reeves County, Texas

61.4 · moderate-high county distress 965th of 3,144 counties nationally · 11,770 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
42% Reeves residents
vs.
23% U.S. median

Above the national median for subprime credit share.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 39 words · paste-ready

Reeves County, Texas ranks 965th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 42% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 965th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 61.4 · moderate-high county distress, 125th in Texas.
  • 42% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
  • Uninsured rate at 20% — national median 8%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Rent-to-income ratio at 23% — national median 21%, ranked at the 65th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Debt in collections at 44% — national median 23%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Distinctive Signals
Labor–Credit Divergence

Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while subprime credit share runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.

Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 31-point drop to Loving County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Reeves County, Texas and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Reeves and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Reeves County ranks 965th of 3,144. American Default Research
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Reeves County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.

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

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.

— American Default Research

Reporter's Notes

Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.

Data anomaly
Disability rate sits well below the rest of the Safety Net & Buffer domain — the one indicator that doesn't fit

According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Reeves County's disability rate indicator is at the 9th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 67th percentile. The gap stands out against uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Pecos.

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

3.7% -4.9 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

16.8% -16.0 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

15.5% +10.2 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

42.1% -5.1 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Reeves County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Reeves 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 Reeves County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Reeves TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 88 · Rank 291 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 10% 7% 5% 94th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 42% 32% 23% 95th 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 44% 35% 23% 95th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 17 78 126 5th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 59 · Rank 1,159 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 23% 22% 21% 65th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 18% 17% 18% 53rd 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 65 · Rank 1,001 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 24% 22% 18% 76th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 11% 16% 16% 9th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 18% 15% 14% 76th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 20% 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.

Delinquency Primary driver 88
Weight 20% · Rank 291 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 65
Weight 20% · Rank 1,001 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 59
Weight 20% · Rank 1,159 of 3,144
Default & Legal 50
Weight 20% · Rank 1,535 of 3,144
Labor 46
Weight 20% · Rank 1,645 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 Reeves 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
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PECOS, Texas — Reeves County ranks 965th 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 61.4 out of 100 gives Reeves a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 964 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Reeves ranks 125th 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 Reeves. 42% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%.

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

Reeves County scores 61.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-high county distress. It ranks 965th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 125th of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Reeves County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 88. Subprime credit share ranks at the 95th percentile nationally.

How does Reeves County compare to its neighbors?

Reeves County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Ward County (64.26, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Loving County (32.96, 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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