Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Above the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 3.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 10%).
Main Findings
Barnstable County, Massachusetts is more distressed than 32% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. Barnstable sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis) and its lowest is Delinquency.
- 8th of 14 counties in Massachusetts on the County Distress Index — 32 · low-moderate county distress, more distressed than 32% of U.S. counties.
- A rent-to-income ratio of 34% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 99th 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 85th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
- Default & Legal domain score 18 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
- Safety Net & Buffer domain score 16 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Barnstable County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.
The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Barnstable County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Barnstable County's value shown alongside MA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Barnstable | MA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 12 · Rank 2,910 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 4% | 5% | 14th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 5% | 5% | 14th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 14% | 19% | 23% | 10th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 18 · Rank 2,829 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 12% | 15% | 23% | 7th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 87 | 72 | 126 | 29th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 97 · Rank 23 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 34% | 29% | 21% | 99th | 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 | 28% | 25% | 18% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 56 · Rank 1,335 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) | 17% | 17% | 21% | 27th | 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% | 85th | 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 16 · Rank 2,871 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 11% | 11% | 17% | 16th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 15% | 13% | 16% | 38th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 9% | 9% | 13% | 12th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 3% | 2% | 8% | 2nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
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 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 Barnstable County data.
Draft wire copy 122-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
BARNSTABLE, Mass. — Barnstable County is more distressed than 32% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Barnstable scores 32 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 32% of U.S. counties; its score label is low-moderate county distress. Within Massachusetts, Barnstable ranks eighth of 14 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, finds Barnstable sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Barnstable County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Barnstable County's distress score?
How does Barnstable County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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