#55 Missouri · 2026

Randolph County, Missouri

51 · moderate county distress more distressed than 51% of U.S. counties · 55th of 115 counties in Missouri · 24,109 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
8% Randolph residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for auto loan delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 48 words · paste-ready

Randolph County, Missouri is more distressed than 51% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 8% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 55th of 115 counties in Missouri on the County Distress Index — 51 · moderate county distress, more distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
  • 8% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 84th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Debt in collections at 30% — national median 23%, ranked at the 73rd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Disability rate at 19% — national median 16%, ranked at the 73rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Labor domain score 26 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 54-point drop to Chariton County marks where the Missouri distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Randolph County, Missouri and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Randolph and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Randolph County is more distressed than 51% of U.S. counties. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 26 words

Randolph County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 31 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— 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
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.8% -1.5 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

12.8% -2.9 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

27.9% +13.7 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

27.0% -9.48 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Randolph County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Randolph County's value shown alongside MO'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 Randolph County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Randolph MO median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 78 · Rank 597 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 8% 6% 5% 84th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 8% 5% 5% 84th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 27% 24% 23% 65th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 68 · Rank 804 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 30% 24% 23% 73rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 158 118 126 62nd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 23 · Rank 2,685 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 19% 20% 21% 29th 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 12% 16% 18% 17th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 26 · Rank 2,528 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) 14% 22% 21% 14th 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) 4% 4% 4% 38th 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 60 · Rank 1,176 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 17% 18% 17% 49th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 19% 17% 16% 73rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 13% 14% 13% 47th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 10% 10% 8% 64th 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 78
Weight 20% · Rank 597 of 3,144
Default & Legal 68
Weight 20% · Rank 804 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 60
Weight 20% · Rank 1,176 of 3,144
Labor 26
Weight 20% · Rank 2,528 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 23
Weight 20% · Rank 2,685 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 Randolph County data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
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HUNTSVILLE, Mo. — Randolph County is more distressed than 51% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Randolph scores 51 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 51% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate county distress. Within Missouri, Randolph ranks 55th of 115 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 delinquency as the primary driver in Randolph. 8% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — above 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 Randolph County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Randolph County scores 51 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 51% of U.S. counties. Its score label is moderate county distress. It ranks 55th of 115 Missouri counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Randolph County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 78. Auto loan delinquency ranks at the 84th percentile nationally.

How does Randolph County compare to its neighbors?

Randolph County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Audrain County (64.00, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Chariton County (10.00, 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.

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