Geneva County, Alabama
4× the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 70.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Geneva County, Alabama ranks 709th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 511 — more than double the national median of 126.
- 709th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 26th in Alabama.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 511 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 99th percentile nationally.
- Credit card delinquency at 10% — national median 5%, ranked at the 96th percentile.
- Disability rate at 24% — national median 16%, ranked at the 94th percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 23% — national median 21%, ranked at the 66th percentile.
Unemployment is 2%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 96th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 32-point drop to Coffee County marks where the Alabama distress corridor ends.
"Geneva 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."
"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."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
27% of children under 18 in Geneva County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
The Indicators Behind Geneva County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Geneva County's value shown alongside AL's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Geneva | AL median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 88 · Rank 301 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 8% | 5% | 82nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 7% | 5% | 96th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 33% | 23% | 86th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 91 · Rank 128 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 34% | 32% | 23% | 84th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 511 | 394 | 126 | 99th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 54 · Rank 1,370 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 23% | 19% | 21% | 66th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 17% | 18% | 18% | 42nd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 10 · Rank 2,789 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 2% | 3% | 4% | 10th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 84 · Rank 246 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 27% | 25% | 18% | 85th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 24% | 20% | 16% | 94th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 19% | 18% | 14% | 83rd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 35% | 32% | 27% | 82nd | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 13% | 9% | 8% | 81st | Census ACS 5-yr (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), 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 Geneva County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 153-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
GENEVA, Ala. — Geneva County ranks 709th 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 65 out of 100 places Geneva in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 708 counties rank more distressed. Within Alabama, Geneva ranks 26th of 67 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 default & legal as the primary driver in Geneva. A bankruptcy filing rate of 511 — more than double the national median of 126.
"Geneva 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Geneva County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Geneva County's distress score?
How does Geneva County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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