American Default Research · Index methods
Release schedule and revisions
American Default Research publishes the American Distress Index, State Distress Index and County Distress Index as named releases. New source figures can arrive between releases; published index scores stay with their approved release until the next one is reviewed.
How a release works
When the inputs needed for the next release have landed, we prepare a release candidate and check it for errors. We allow about two weeks for review. Ross Kilburn approves a release before its scores replace the previous published scores. Expected windows are planning guides, not promised publication dates. An indicator page can show a newer source figure before an index release uses it.
If a publisher revises an input, we check its effect and explain the change in the next release note. If we find our own error, we identify the correction and date it. A change to the method or to which source data are used changes the release version and gets a revision note. Earlier release files remain available so a past citation can be checked. Scores and ranks compare places or periods within one release; a number from one release should not be treated as directly comparable with a number from another.
ADI
American Distress Index, October 2026 release
- Release status
- Released October 26, 2026
- Input period
- reading for April–June 2026
- Next release
- Expected early January 2027
- Trigger
- Quarterly, about two weeks after the Federal Reserve household debt-service data needed for the next reading lands.
Inputs in this release
| Input | Period used |
|---|---|
| Mortgage debt behind on payments | April–June 2026 |
| Credit card debt behind on payments | April–June 2026 |
| Other consumer debt behind on payments | April–June 2026 |
| Auto loan debt behind on payments | April–June 2026 |
| Credit card debt written off by lenders | April–June 2026 |
| Mortgage debt written off by lenders | April–June 2026 |
| Income needed for debt payments | April–June 2026 |
| Unemployment rate | April–June 2026 |
| New unemployment claims | April–June 2026 |
| Personal saving rate | April–June 2026 |
Revision note · October 26, 2026
First named release of the current published Q2 2026 series; earlier scores can be restated at a later approved release.
Read the method · Download this release’s values
Suggested citation
American Default Research, American Distress Index, October 2026 release, https://americandefault.org/api/releases/adi-2026-10.json, accessed date of access.
Reuse with credit under CC BY 4.0.
Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23887780.
Copies of this edition: Zenodo · Hugging Face · Kaggle.
SDI
State Distress Index, November 2026 release
- Release status
- Released November 4, 2026
- Input period
- credit data through June 2026 · bankruptcies 2025 · unemployment July–September 2026 · rent burden 2025
- Next release
- Expected late February 2027
- Trigger
- Twice a year, expected in late February and mid-September, about two weeks after the needed state inputs land; state editions follow about two weeks later after page review.
Inputs in this release
| Input | Period used |
|---|---|
| Auto loan borrowers 90+ days behind | April–June 2026 |
| Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 2025 |
| Credit card borrowers 90+ days behind | April–June 2026 |
| People with debt in collections | April–June 2026 |
| Mortgage borrowers 90+ days behind | April–June 2026 |
| Renter households paying half or more of income on rent | 2025 |
| Unemployment rate, three-month average | July–September 2026 |
Revision note · November 4, 2026
Corrects the credit inputs: the October release used Philadelphia Fed credit data through 2025 Q1 because the collector kept reading a retired file location. Credit data now runs through 2026 Q2, and severe renter cost burden moves to the 2025 survey year. No formula or weight changed.
Read the method · Download this release’s values
Suggested citation
American Default Research, State Distress Index, November 2026 release, https://americandefault.org/api/releases/sdi-2026-11.json, accessed date of access.
Reuse with credit under CC BY 4.0.
SDI
State Distress Index, October 2026 release
- Release status
- Released October 26, 2026
- Input period
- credit data through March 2025 · bankruptcies 2025 · unemployment July–September 2026 · rent burden 2024
Inputs in this release
| Input | Period used |
|---|---|
| Auto loan borrowers 90+ days behind | January–March 2025 |
| Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 2025 |
| Credit card borrowers 90+ days behind | January–March 2025 |
| People with debt in collections | January–March 2025 |
| Mortgage borrowers 90+ days behind | January–March 2025 |
| Renter households paying half or more of income on rent | 2024 |
| Unemployment rate, three-month average | July–September 2026 |
Revision note · October 26, 2026
First named release of the current published state scores. Input periods differ and are recorded individually.
Read the method · Download this release’s values
Suggested citation
American Default Research, State Distress Index, October 2026 release, https://americandefault.org/api/releases/sdi-2026-10.json, accessed date of access.
Reuse with credit under CC BY 4.0.
CDI
County Distress Index, October 2026 release
- Release status
- Released October 26, 2026
- Input period
- different periods; see sources
- Next release
- Expected late February 2027
- Trigger
- Twice a year, expected in late February and mid-September, about two weeks after the needed county inputs land; county editions follow about two weeks later after page review.
Inputs in this release
| Input | Period used |
|---|---|
| People with a car or retail loan behind | 2025 |
| People with a credit card behind | 2025 |
| Children in poverty | 2024 |
| People with debt in collections | 2025 |
| Adults with a disability | 2020–2024 |
| Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 2025 |
| Median household income | 2024 |
| People in poverty | 2024 |
| Adults 25 to 54 not working | 2020–2024 |
| Rent on a two-bedroom compared with household income | 2027 rents; 2024 income |
| Renters paying half their income or more in rent | 2020–2024 |
| People with subprime credit scores | April 2026 |
| Unemployment rate, average over the latest year | September 2025–August 2026 |
| People without health insurance | 2020–2024 |
Revision note · October 26, 2026
First named release of the county scores now shown on the site. It includes the input corrections made on October 19.
Read the method · Download this release’s values
Suggested citation
American Default Research, County Distress Index, October 2026 release, https://americandefault.org/api/releases/cdi-2026-10.json, accessed date of access.
Reuse with credit under CC BY 4.0.