#564 Texas · 2026

San Jacinto County, Texas

68.8 · moderate-high county distress 564th of 3,144 counties nationally · 28,936 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
9% San Jacinto residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 41 words · paste-ready

San Jacinto County, Texas ranks 564th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 564th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 68.8 · moderate-high county distress, 66th in Texas.
  • 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 90th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
  • Uninsured rate at 20% — national median 8%, ranked at the 96th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Debt in collections at 38% — national median 23%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 25-point drop to Montgomery County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. San Jacinto County, Texas and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
San Jacinto and its 5 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. San Jacinto County ranks 564th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 22 words

San Jacinto 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

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

5.2% +1.0 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

16.8% -7.9 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

29.1% +13.3 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

35.9% -4.6 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind San Jacinto County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. San Jacinto 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 San Jacinto County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator San Jacinto TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 89 · Rank 253 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 9% 7% 5% 88th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 9% 7% 5% 90th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 36% 32% 23% 90th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 60 · Rank 1,112 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 38% 35% 23% 91st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 86 78 126 29th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 34 · Rank 2,269 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 21% 22% 21% 48th 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% 19th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 86 · Rank 423 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 5% 4% 4% 86th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 76 · Rank 563 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 22% 16% 16% 89th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 17% 15% 14% 71st U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 20% 17% 8% 96th 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 89
Weight 20% · Rank 253 of 3,144
Labor 86
Weight 20% · Rank 423 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 76
Weight 20% · Rank 563 of 3,144
Default & Legal 60
Weight 20% · Rank 1,112 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 34
Weight 20% · Rank 2,269 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 San Jacinto 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 133-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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COLDSPRING, Texas — San Jacinto County ranks 564th 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 68.8 out of 100 gives San Jacinto a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 563 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, San Jacinto ranks 66th 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 San Jacinto. 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above 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.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is San Jacinto County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

San Jacinto County scores 68.8 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-high county distress. It ranks 564th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 66th of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives San Jacinto County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 89. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 90th percentile nationally.

How does San Jacinto County compare to its neighbors?

San Jacinto County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Liberty County (78.99, high county distress). Lowest: Montgomery County (53.66, 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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