Imperial County, California
5× the national median for unemployment — and 55.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 0%).
Main Findings
Imperial County, California ranks 206th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 16% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.
- 206th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Most distressed fifth, 1st in California.
- 16% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 100th percentile nationally.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 28% — national median 21%, ranked at the 91st percentile.
- Subprime credit share at 33% — national median 23%, ranked at the 82nd percentile.
- Poverty rate at 17% — national median 14%, ranked at the 75th percentile.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 19-point drop to San Diego County marks where the California distress corridor ends.
"Imperial County ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated."
"The CDI places this county in the most distressed fifth nationally. The rank is the important geography signal: it compares the county with every other county-equivalent in the release."
The Indicators Behind Imperial County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Imperial County's value shown alongside CA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Imperial | CA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 74 · Rank 719 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 4% | 5% | 62nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 5% | 5% | 78th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 20% | 23% | 82nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 54 · Rank 1,358 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 24% | 18% | 23% | 53rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 138 | 119 | 126 | 55th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 90 · Rank 146 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 28% | 27% | 21% | 91st | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 26% | 25% | 18% | 90th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 100 · Rank 2 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 16% | 5% | 4% | 100th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 68 · Rank 878 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 22% | 16% | 18% | 70th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 15% | 13% | 16% | 40th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 17% | 13% | 14% | 75th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 30% | 24% | 27% | 65th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 7% | 6% | 8% | 38th | 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 Imperial County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 147-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
EL CENTRO, Calif. — Imperial County ranks 206th 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 77 out of 100 places Imperial in the most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 205 counties rank more distressed. Within California, Imperial ranks first of 58 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 labor as the primary driver in Imperial. 16% of the labor force is unemployed — more than double the national median of 4%.
"Imperial County ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated," 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 Imperial County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Imperial County's distress score?
How does Imperial County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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