#17 Top 100 Most Distressed Counties · 2026

Concordia Parish, Louisiana

99 · extreme county distress more distressed than 99% of U.S. counties · 17th of 3,144 counties nationally · 17,688 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
13% Concordia Parish residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

More than double the national median for auto loan delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 50 words · paste-ready

Concordia Parish, Louisiana ranks 17th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 13% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 17th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 99 · extreme county distress, more distressed than 99% of U.S. counties; 2nd in Louisiana.
  • 13% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Adults 25-54 not working at 39% — national median 21%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Debt in collections at 42% — national median 23%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Child poverty rate at 40% — national median 17%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 46-point drop to West Feliciana Parish marks where the Louisiana distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Concordia Parish, Louisiana and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Concordia Parish and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Concordia Parish ranks 17th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 19 words

Concordia Parish has an extreme county distress score. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 37 words

The CDI gives this county an extreme county distress label. The score is the plain-language signal; the national rank separately shows how the county compares with every other county-equivalent in the release. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Reporter's Notes

Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.

Reporting hook
Child poverty is the reporting lead

According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024), 40% of children under 18 in Concordia Parish live below the federal poverty line, versus 17% 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.

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

6.3% -4.1 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

27.7% -5.1 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

40.9% +30.9 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

39.0% -7.07 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Concordia Parish's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Concordia Parish's value shown alongside LA'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 Concordia Parish's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Concordia Parish LA median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 95 · Rank 75 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 13% 8% 5% 95th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 12% 8% 5% 95th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 39% 35% 23% 94th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 88 · Rank 188 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 42% 34% 23% 95th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 226 225 126 81st Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 81 · Rank 373 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 25% 22% 21% 82nd 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 24% 22% 18% 80th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 94 · Rank 55 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) 39% 27% 21% 95th 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) 6% 5% 4% 94th 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 88 · Rank 96 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 40% 28% 17% 95th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 22% 18% 16% 90th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 28% 21% 13% 95th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 10% 7% 8% 65th 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.

Delinquency Primary driver 95
Weight 20% · Rank 75 of 3,144
Labor 94
Weight 20% · Rank 55 of 3,144
Default & Legal 88
Weight 20% · Rank 188 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 88
Weight 20% · Rank 96 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 81
Weight 20% · Rank 373 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 Concordia Parish data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
Draft wire copy 143-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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VIDALIA, La. — Concordia Parish ranks 17th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Concordia Parish scores 99 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 99% of U.S. counties; its score label is extreme county distress. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 16 rank more distressed. Within Louisiana, Concordia Parish ranks second of 64 parishes.

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 delinquency as the primary driver in Concordia Parish. 13% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.

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 Concordia Parish's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Concordia Parish scores 99 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 99% of U.S. counties. Its score label is extreme county distress. It ranks 17th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 2nd of 64 Louisiana parishes. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Concordia Parish's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 95. Auto loan delinquency ranks at the 95th percentile nationally.

How does Concordia Parish compare to its neighbors?

Concordia Parish's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Wilkinson County, MS (99.00, extreme county distress). Lowest: West Feliciana Parish (53.00, 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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