Shelby County, Texas
More than double the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Shelby County, Texas ranks 530th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 11% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 530th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 69.3 · moderate-high county distress, 62nd in Texas.
- 11% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 97th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Uninsured rate at 19% — national median 8%, ranked at the 96th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Debt in collections at 40% — national median 23%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Unemployment is 5%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 97th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 16-point drop to Sabine County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
Shelby 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.
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 Shelby County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Shelby County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Shelby | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 92 · Rank 168 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 7% | 5% | 89th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 7% | 5% | 97th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 35% | 32% | 23% | 88th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 60 · Rank 1,099 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 40% | 35% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 79 | 78 | 126 | 25th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 36 · Rank 2,174 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 21% | 22% | 21% | 54th | 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% | 18th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 84 · Rank 477 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 84th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 76 · Rank 565 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 | 16% | 16% | 16% | 51st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 18% | 15% | 14% | 78th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 19% | 17% | 8% | 96th | 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 Shelby County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 131-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CENTER, Texas — Shelby County ranks 530th 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 69.3 out of 100 gives Shelby a moderate-high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 529 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Shelby ranks 62nd 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 Shelby. 11% 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 Shelby County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Shelby County's distress score?
How does Shelby County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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