#17 Nevada · 2026

Douglas County, Nevada

22 · low county distress more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties · 17th of 17 counties in Nevada · 49,545 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
27% Douglas residents
vs.
18% U.S. median

Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 39 words · paste-ready

Douglas County, Nevada is more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. Douglas sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis) and its lowest is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 17th of 17 counties in Nevada on the County Distress Index — 22 · low county distress, more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties.
  • 27% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 91st percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 55th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
  • Disability rate at 17% — national median 16%, ranked at the 57th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Safety Net & Buffer domain score 24 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span 6 CDI score labels. The 50-point drop to Mono County, CA marks a cross-border distress gradient.

County Distress Index cluster map. Douglas County, Nevada and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Douglas and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Douglas County is more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Douglas County has a low county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 29 words

The CDI gives this county a low county distress label. The score is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).

— 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
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

4.3% -0.7 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

8.2% +3.8 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

14.9% +10.4 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

13.6% -9.16 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Douglas County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Douglas County's value shown alongside NV'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 Douglas County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Douglas NV median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 7 · Rank 3,080 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 2% 5% 5% 3rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 3% 6% 5% 10th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 14% 23% 23% 8th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 27 · Rank 2,527 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 15% 27% 23% 21st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 93 120 126 32nd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 60 · Rank 1,049 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 27% 21% 18% 91st U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 53 · Rank 1,442 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) 21% 23% 21% 52nd 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% 55th 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 24 · Rank 2,621 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 11% 14% 17% 17th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 17% 19% 16% 57th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 8% 11% 13% 9th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 6% 9% 8% 32nd 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.

Debt Burden (housing basis) Primary driver 60
Weight 20% · Rank 1,049 of 3,144
Labor 53
Weight 20% · Rank 1,442 of 3,144
Default & Legal 27
Weight 20% · Rank 2,527 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 24
Weight 20% · Rank 2,621 of 3,144
Delinquency 7
Weight 20% · Rank 3,080 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 Douglas County data.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/32005/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Douglas County, NV — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
Draft wire copy 122-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 122 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

MINDEN, Nev. — Douglas County is more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Douglas scores 22 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties; its score label is low county distress. Within Nevada, Douglas ranks 17th of 17 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 Douglas 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.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Douglas County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Douglas County scores 22 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties. Its score label is low county distress. It ranks 17th of 17 Nevada counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Douglas County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis), at a domain score of 60. Severe rent burden (50%+) ranks at the 91st percentile nationally.

How does Douglas County compare to its neighbors?

Douglas County's neighbors span 6 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Lyon County (63.00, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Mono County, CA (13.00, 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.

Read more
from Ross →