Buffalo County, Wisconsin
Above the national median for owner housing burden.
Main Findings
Buffalo County, Wisconsin ranks 3,025th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Buffalo sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 3,025th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Healthy zone, 68th in Wisconsin.
- 29% of owner households pay 30%+ of income on housing (U.S. median 24%). Owner housing burden at the 85th percentile nationally.
- Business formation rate at 8.6 — national median 10.0, ranked at the 68th percentile.
- Unemployment at 6% — national median 4%, ranked at the 85th percentile.
- Legal Distress domain score 22 — weight 7.4% of the CDI composite.
"Buffalo County is one of the steadier counties on the index — durable fundamentals across most domains. The risk pattern here is asymmetric: a single shock can change the picture quickly."
"Healthy-zone counties have durable fundamentals across most distress domains. The risk pattern here is asymmetric: a single shock — health, housing, or income — can change the picture quickly."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Buffalo County's rent-to-income ratio indicator is at the 5th percentile — while every other indicator in the Economic Vitality domain sits at or above the 51st percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Alma.
The Indicators Behind Buffalo County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Buffalo County's value shown alongside WI's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Buffalo | WI median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Credit Distress — domain score 9 · Rank 3,099 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 9% | 14% | 23% | 5th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Medical debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have medical debt in collections | 1% | 4% | 4% | 22nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 1% | 3% | 5% | 5th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 3% | 5% | 7th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 6% | 8% | 15th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 12% | 15% | 23% | 5th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Housing Cost Burden — domain score 34 · Rank 2,235 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent burden (30%+) Share of renter households paying 30%+ of income on rent | 33% | 35% | 38% | 32nd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 13% | 15% | 18% | 23rd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Owner housing burden Share of owner households paying 30%+ of income on housing | 29% | 27% | 24% | 85th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Homeownership rate Share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied | 78% | 77% | 74% | 27th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Structural Poverty — domain score 41 · Rank 1,970 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 5% | 4% | 85th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 10% | 10% | 14% | 22nd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Household income relative to state Median household income as share of state median | 1.05× | 1.00× | 1.00× | 38th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 12% | 13% | 18% | 20th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 15% | 13% | 16% | 45th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 25% | 24% | 27% | 41st | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Legal Distress — domain score 22 · Rank 2,453 of 3,144 | |||||
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 74 | 118 | 126 | 22nd | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Economic Vitality — domain score 42 · Rank 2,001 of 3,144 | |||||
| Wage-to-rent ratio Ratio of average weekly wage to fair-market rent | 4.0× | 4.0× | 4.0× | 51st | BLS QCEW × HUD FMR (2024) |
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 16% | 18% | 21% | 5th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Business formation rate New business applications per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 8.7 | 10.0 | 68th | Census Business Formation Statistics (2024) |
| House price change (yoy) House price index year-over-year change | 3% | 5% | 4% | 61st | FHFA HPI (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is a PCA-weighted composite of five statistically derived factors. Weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance across 3,144 counties.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 represents the national county median; higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from 21 indicators grouped into five statistically derived factors via principal component analysis (PCA); factor weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance (shown in the Five-Domain Breakdown above).
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 Buffalo County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 149-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
ALMA, Wis. — Buffalo County ranks 3,025th 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 23 out of 100 places Buffalo in the "Healthy" zone. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 3,024 counties rank more distressed. Within Wisconsin, Buffalo ranks 68th of 72 counties.
The index, which draws on 21 indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Buffalo sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Buffalo County is one of the steadier counties on the index — durable fundamentals across most domains. The risk pattern here is asymmetric: a single shock can change the picture quickly," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Buffalo County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Buffalo County's distress score?
How does Buffalo County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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