#968 Texas · 2026

Tom Green County, Texas

Second-most distressed fifth 968th of 3,144 counties nationally · 119,057 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
33% Tom Green residents
vs.
23% U.S. median

Above the national median for subprime credit share.

Urban Institute (2024)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 35 words · paste-ready

Tom Green County, Texas ranks 968th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 33% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%.

Key Findings
  • 968th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 118th in Texas.
  • 33% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 84th percentile nationally.
  • Rent-to-income ratio at 27% — national median 21%, ranked at the 87th percentile.
  • Debt in collections at 34% — national median 23%, ranked at the 83rd percentile.
  • Uninsured rate at 14% — national median 8%, ranked at the 87th percentile.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 19-point drop to Coke County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Tom Green County, Texas and its neighbors colored by distress fifth.
Tom Green and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Tom Green County ranks 968th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire quote — paste-ready, any angle 29 words

"Tom Green County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research
Analyst quote — for feature use 30 words

"The CDI places this county in the second-most distressed fifth nationally. The county sits above the median distress position, with the five-domain profile showing which local pressures carry the score."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research

The Indicators Behind Tom Green County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Tom Green 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, where 50 = U.S. county median and higher = more distressed. Percentile is Tom Green County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Tom Green TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 80 · Rank 535 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 7% 5% 75th Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 8% 7% 5% 82nd Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 33% 32% 23% 84th Urban Institute (2024)
Default & Legal — domain score 65 · Rank 915 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 34% 35% 23% 83rd Urban Institute (2024)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 122 78 126 48th US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 75 · Rank 558 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 27% 22% 21% 87th HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 20% 17% 18% 63rd Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 31 · Rank 2,194 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 31st BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 52 · Rank 1,495 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 17% 22% 18% 46th Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 15% 16% 16% 44th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 15% 15% 14% 59th Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 20% 26% 27% 23rd BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 14% 17% 8% 87th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Data compiled April 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax 2024 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS Dec 2025, QCEW 2024), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2024).

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 80
Weight 20% · Rank 535 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 75
Weight 20% · Rank 558 of 3,144
Default & Legal 65
Weight 20% · Rank 915 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 52
Weight 20% · Rank 1,495 of 3,144
Labor 31
Weight 20% · Rank 2,194 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), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Tom Green County data — in under 60 seconds.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/48451/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Tom Green County, TX — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 158-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 158 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Tom Green County ranks 968th 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 out of 100 places Tom Green in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 967 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Tom Green ranks 118th of 254 counties.

The index, which draws on 16 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 Tom Green. 33% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%.

"Tom Green County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Tom Green County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Tom Green County scores 61 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the second-most distressed fifth. It ranks 968th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 118th of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Tom Green County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 80. Subprime credit share ranks at the 84th percentile nationally.

How does Tom Green County compare to its neighbors?

Tom Green County's neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Concho County (57.68, Second-most distressed fifth). Lowest: Coke County (38.24, Second-least distressed fifth).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 16 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.

Read more
from Ross →