#17 Alaska · 2026

Aleutians East Borough, Alaska

25 · low county distress more distressed than 25% of U.S. counties · 17th of 30 counties in Alaska · 3,461 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
36% Aleutians East Borough residents
vs.
8% U.S. median

5× the national median for uninsured rate.

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 44 words · paste-ready

Aleutians East Borough, Alaska is more distressed than 25% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. Aleutians East Borough sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer and its lowest is Default & Legal.

Key Findings
  • 17th of 30 counties in Alaska on the County Distress Index — 25 · low county distress, more distressed than 25% of U.S. counties.
  • 36% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Subprime credit share at 40% — national median 23%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025).
  • Labor domain score 39 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 25 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Labor–Credit Divergence

Unemployment is 2%, near the national median of 4%, while subprime credit share runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.

County Distress Index cluster map. Aleutians East Borough, Alaska and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Aleutians East Borough and its 1 geographic neighbor, graded by County Distress Index score. Aleutians East Borough is more distressed than 25% of U.S. counties. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Aleutians East Borough has a low county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 29 words

The CDI gives this county a low county distress label. The score is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands. 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 Sep 22, 2026
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.0% +2.6 percentage points since 1990
Census 1993 to 2024

Poverty rate

20.5% +10.8 percentage points since 1993
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1988 to 2024

Transfer income share

8.1% +2.6 percentage points since 1988
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

40.0% -6.34 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Aleutians East Borough's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Aleutians East Borough's value shown alongside AK'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 Aleutians East Borough's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Aleutians East Borough AK median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 43 · Rank 1,817 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 2% 2% 5% 9th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 4% 4% 5% 25th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 40% 18% 23% 95th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 23 · Rank 2,670 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 18% 18% 23% 32nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 58 34 126 14th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 25 · Rank 2,635 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 19% 22% 21% 36th U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 11% 11% 18% 14th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 39 · Rank 2,061 of 3,144
Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) 20% 20% 21% 43rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) 4% 6% 4% 35th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 51 · Rank 1,553 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 15% 15% 17% 38th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 13% 14% 16% 19th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 20% 12% 13% 89th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 36% 12% 8% 95th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Compiled September 30, 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2024, SAIPE 2024, Business Formation Statistics 2025), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS August 2026, QCEW 2025), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2027).

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 51
Weight 20% · Rank 1,553 of 3,144
Delinquency 43
Weight 20% · Rank 1,817 of 3,144
Labor 39
Weight 20% · Rank 2,061 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 25
Weight 20% · Rank 2,635 of 3,144
Default & Legal 23
Weight 20% · Rank 2,670 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. 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 five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Aleutians East Borough data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
Draft wire copy 133-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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SAND POINT, Alaska — Aleutians East Borough is more distressed than 25% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Aleutians East Borough scores 25 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 25% of U.S. counties; its score label is low county distress. Within Alaska, Aleutians East Borough ranks 17th of 30 boroughs and census areas.

The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Aleutians East Borough 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 Aleutians East Borough's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Aleutians East Borough scores 25 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 25% of U.S. counties. Its score label is low county distress. It ranks 17th of 30 Alaska boroughs and census areas. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Aleutians East Borough's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 51. Uninsured rate ranks at the 95th percentile nationally.

How does Aleutians East Borough compare to its neighbors?

Aleutians East Borough's neighbors span 1 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Lake and Peninsula Borough (32.00, low-moderate county distress). Lowest: Lake and Peninsula Borough (32.00, low-moderate county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI averages 14 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer, then ranks that average against every other county, so the score is the share of U.S. counties a county is more distressed than. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Ross Kilburn is the former COO of Ark Law Group, a foreclosure defense firm serving five states. He founded Seattle Short Sales, wrote Short Sale Your Home, and worked as a mortgage loan originator and real estate agent. He founded American Default Research in 2026.

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from Ross →