San Saba County, Texas
3× the national median for uninsured rate.
Main Findings
San Saba County, Texas ranks 1,464th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 26% of residents lack health insurance — more than double the national median of 8%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 1,464th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 52.4 · moderate county distress, 176th in Texas.
- 26% 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).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 60th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Credit card delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 85th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 24% — national median 21%, ranked at the 71st percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Neighbors span five CDI score labels. The 35-point drop to Mason County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
San Saba County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to Urban Institute Debt in America (2025), San Saba County's auto loan delinquency indicator is at the 5th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Delinquency domain at or above the 52nd percentile. The gap stands out against credit card delinquency. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in San Saba.
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 San Saba County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. San Saba County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | San Saba | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 47 · Rank 1,661 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 2% | 7% | 5% | 5th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 7% | 5% | 85th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 24% | 32% | 23% | 52nd | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 38 · Rank 2,069 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 29% | 35% | 23% | 71st | 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 39 · Rank 2,024 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 22% | 21% | 71st | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 8% | 17% | 18% | 8th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 60 · Rank 1,197 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 60th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 77 · Rank 514 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 26% | 22% | 18% | 82nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 16% | 16% | 16% | 48th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 18% | 15% | 14% | 80th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 26% | 17% | 8% | 95th | 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 San Saba County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 135-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SAN SABA, Texas — San Saba County ranks 1,464th 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 52.4 out of 100 gives San Saba a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,463 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, San Saba ranks 176th 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 San Saba. 26% 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 San Saba County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives San Saba County's distress score?
How does San Saba County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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