Grant County, New Mexico
Above the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 2.2× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Steele County, ND — 12%).
Main Findings
Grant County, New Mexico ranks 833rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a rent-to-income ratio of 26% — above the national median of 21%.
- 833rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 17th in New Mexico.
- A rent-to-income ratio of 26% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 85th percentile nationally.
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 78th percentile.
- Transfer-income dependency at 40% — national median 27%, ranked at the 93rd percentile.
- Subprime credit share at 23% — national median 23%, ranked at the 50th percentile.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 45-point drop to Greenlee County, AZ marks a cross-border distress gradient.
"Grant County 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.
Grant County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 19th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 65th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and disability rate. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Silver City.
27% of children under 18 in Grant County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% 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.
The Indicators Behind Grant County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Grant County's value shown alongside NM's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Grant | NM median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 42 · Rank 1,842 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 5% | 5% | 50th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 6% | 5% | 27th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 23% | 26% | 23% | 50th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 38 · Rank 2,095 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 25% | 28% | 23% | 58th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 66 | 65 | 126 | 17th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 80 · Rank 395 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 26% | 26% | 21% | 85th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 22% | 18% | 18% | 76th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 78 · Rank 691 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 5% | 4% | 78th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 77 · Rank 523 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 27% | 27% | 18% | 85th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 23% | 20% | 16% | 92nd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 19% | 14% | 85th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 40% | 34% | 27% | 93rd | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 9% | 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 Grant County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 153-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SILVER CITY, N.M. — Grant County ranks 833rd 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 63 out of 100 places Grant in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 832 counties rank more distressed. Within New Mexico, Grant ranks 17th of 33 counties.
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 debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Grant. A rent-to-income ratio of 26% — above the national median of 21%.
"Grant County 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 Grant County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Grant County's distress score?
How does Grant County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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