#2,218 Wyoming · 2026

Big Horn County, Wyoming

38.7 · low-moderate county distress 2,218th of 3,144 counties nationally · 12,018 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
15% Big Horn residents
vs.
8% U.S. median

Above the national median for uninsured rate.

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 36 words · paste-ready

Big Horn County, Wyoming ranks 2,218th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Big Horn sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

Key Findings
  • 2,218th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 38.7 · low-moderate county distress, 5th in Wyoming.
  • 15% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 87th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 72nd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Labor domain score 38 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Default & Legal domain score 28 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 50-point drop to Johnson County marks where the Wyoming distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Big Horn County, Wyoming and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Big Horn and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Big Horn County ranks 2,218th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Big Horn County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 35 words

The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

— 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

4.2% -1.6 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

12.6% -5.8 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

27.0% +17.2 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

16.1% +0.2 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Big Horn County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Big Horn County's value shown alongside WY'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 Big Horn County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Big Horn WY median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 49 · Rank 1,600 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 4% 5% 72nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 6% 3% 5% 58th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 16% 17% 23% 17th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 28 · Rank 2,485 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 19% 18% 23% 33rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 75 71 126 22nd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 22 · Rank 2,690 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 19% 18% 21% 28th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 11% 14% 18% 17th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 38 · Rank 1,902 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 3% 4% 38th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 57 · Rank 1,326 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 16% 12% 18% 39th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 17% 15% 16% 60th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 13% 10% 14% 42nd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 15% 11% 8% 87th 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.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 57
Weight 20% · Rank 1,326 of 3,144
Delinquency 49
Weight 20% · Rank 1,600 of 3,144
Labor 38
Weight 20% · Rank 1,902 of 3,144
Default & Legal 28
Weight 20% · Rank 2,485 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 22
Weight 20% · Rank 2,690 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 Big Horn 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 128-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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BASIN, Wyo. — Big Horn County ranks 2,218th 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 38.7 out of 100 gives Big Horn a low-moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,217 counties rank more distressed. Within Wyoming, Big Horn ranks fifth of 23 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, finds Big Horn sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

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 Big Horn County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Big Horn County scores 38.7 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low-moderate county distress. It ranks 2,218th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 5th of 23 Wyoming counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Big Horn County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 57. Uninsured rate ranks at the 87th percentile nationally.

How does Big Horn County compare to its neighbors?

Big Horn County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Big Horn County, MT (66.00, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Johnson County (16.37, very low 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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