#11 Arizona · 2026

Coconino County, Arizona

68 · moderate-high county distress more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties · 11th of 15 counties in Arizona · 144,472 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
28% Coconino residents
vs.
21% U.S. median

Above the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 2.8× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 10%).

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 45 words · paste-ready

Coconino County, Arizona is more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: a rent-to-income ratio of 28% — above the national median of 21%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis) and its lowest is Default & Legal.

Key Findings
  • 11th of 15 counties in Arizona on the County Distress Index — 68 · moderate-high county distress, more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
  • A rent-to-income ratio of 28% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 93rd percentile nationally. Source: HUD FMR (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
  • Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
  • Auto loan delinquency at 8% — national median 5%, ranked at the 82nd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Uninsured rate at 11% — national median 8%, ranked at the 73rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span five CDI score labels. The 72-point drop to Kane County, UT marks a cross-border distress gradient.

County Distress Index cluster map. Coconino County, Arizona and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Coconino and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Coconino County is more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Coconino County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 34 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).

— 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
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

4.7% -2.8 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

15.2% -4.4 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

20.8% +13.1 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

25.9% -9.92 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Coconino County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Coconino County's value shown alongside AZ'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 Coconino County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Coconino AZ median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 62 · Rank 1,159 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 8% 6% 5% 82nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 5% 6% 5% 42nd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 26% 26% 23% 60th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 34 · Rank 2,233 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 25% 26% 23% 57th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 55 128 126 12th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 91 · Rank 142 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 28% 24% 21% 93rd 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 26% 18% 18% 89th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 67 · Rank 862 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% 27% 21% 49th 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) 5% 5% 4% 86th 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 50 · Rank 1,586 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 18% 20% 17% 55th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 13% 16% 16% 25th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 15% 15% 13% 66th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 11% 11% 8% 73rd 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.

Debt Burden (housing basis) Primary driver 91
Weight 20% · Rank 142 of 3,144
Labor 67
Weight 20% · Rank 862 of 3,144
Delinquency 62
Weight 20% · Rank 1,159 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 50
Weight 20% · Rank 1,586 of 3,144
Default & Legal 34
Weight 20% · Rank 2,233 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 Coconino County data.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/04005/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Coconino County, AZ — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
Draft wire copy 125-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 125 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Coconino County is more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Coconino scores 68 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate-high county distress. Within Arizona, Coconino ranks 11th of 15 counties.

The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Coconino. A rent-to-income ratio of 28% — above the national median of 21%.

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

Coconino County scores 68 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties. Its score label is moderate-high county distress. It ranks 11th of 15 Arizona counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Coconino County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis), at a domain score of 91. Rent-to-income ratio ranks at the 93rd percentile nationally.

How does Coconino County compare to its neighbors?

Coconino County's neighbors span 5 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Navajo County (89.00, very high county distress). Lowest: Kane County, UT (17.00, very low 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.

Read more
from Ross →