LaSalle Parish, Louisiana
Above the national median for auto loan delinquency.
Main Findings
LaSalle Parish, Louisiana ranks 1,128th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 10% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
- 1,128th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 56th in Louisiana.
- 10% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 91st percentile nationally.
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 250 — national median 126, ranked at the 85th percentile.
- Poverty rate at 20% — national median 14%, ranked at the 86th percentile.
- Labor domain score 31 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Unemployment is 3%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 91st percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span two CDI distress fifths. The 19-point drop to Grant Parish marks where the Louisiana distress corridor ends.
"LaSalle Parish ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix."
"The CDI places this county in the second-most distressed fifth nationally. The county sits above the median distress position, with the five-domain profile showing which local pressures carry the score."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
LaSalle Parish's uninsured rate indicator is at the 19th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 66th percentile. The gap stands out against poverty rate. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Jena.
The Indicators Behind LaSalle Parish's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. LaSalle Parish's value shown alongside LA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | LaSalle Parish | LA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 85 · Rank 389 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 8% | 5% | 91st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 8% | 5% | 75th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 35% | 35% | 23% | 88th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 83 · Rank 310 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 33% | 34% | 23% | 81st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 250 | 225 | 126 | 85th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 22 · Rank 2,693 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 18% | 22% | 21% | 17th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 14% | 21% | 18% | 27th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 31 · Rank 2,140 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 31st | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 70 · Rank 809 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 28% | 18% | 77th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 17% | 16% | 71st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 20% | 14% | 86th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 36% | 30% | 27% | 85th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 8% | 8% | 19th | 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 LaSalle Parish data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 156-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
JENA, La. — LaSalle Parish ranks 1,128th 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 58 out of 100 places LaSalle Parish in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,127 counties rank more distressed. Within Louisiana, LaSalle Parish ranks 56th of 64 parishes.
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 delinquency as the primary driver in LaSalle Parish. 10% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
"LaSalle Parish ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix," 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 LaSalle Parish's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives LaSalle Parish's distress score?
How does LaSalle Parish compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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