Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska
More than double the national median for unemployment — and 30.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 0%).
Main Findings
Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska ranks 1,829th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.
- 1,829th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 9th in Alaska.
- 9% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Uninsured rate at 31% — national median 8%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Delinquency domain score 24 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 21 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span four CDI distress fifths. The 27-point drop to Kodiak Island Borough marks where the Alaska distress corridor ends.
"Lake and Peninsula Borough ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Lake and Peninsula Borough's disability rate indicator is at the 25th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 42nd percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and EITC % of returns. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in King Salmon.
27% of children under 18 in Lake and Peninsula Borough 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 Lake and Peninsula Borough's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Lake and Peninsula Borough's value shown alongside AK's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Lake and Peninsula Borough | AK median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 24 · Rank 2,449 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 2% | 2% | 5% | 9th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 4% | 5% | 25th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 21% | 18% | 23% | 39th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 19 · Rank 2,820 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 18% | 18% | 23% | 32nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 34 | 34 | 126 | 5th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 21 · Rank 2,751 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 22% | 21% | 37th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 2% | 10% | 18% | 5th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 70 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 9% | 7% | 4% | 95th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 71 · Rank 731 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 27% | 14% | 18% | 86th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 13% | 14% | 16% | 25th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 12% | 14% | 87th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 25% | 24% | 27% | 42nd | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 31% | 14% | 8% | 95th | 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 Lake and Peninsula Borough data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 168-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
KING SALMON, Alaska — Lake and Peninsula Borough ranks 1,829th 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 46 out of 100 places Lake and Peninsula Borough in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,828 counties rank more distressed. Within Alaska, Lake and Peninsula Borough ranks ninth of 30 boroughs and census areas.
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 labor as the primary driver in Lake and Peninsula Borough. 9% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.
"Lake and Peninsula Borough ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," 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 Lake and Peninsula Borough's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How does Lake and Peninsula Borough compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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