#404 Top 500 Most Distressed Counties · 2026

Trumbull County, Ohio

Most distressed fifth 404th of 3,144 counties nationally · 200,373 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
5% Trumbull residents
vs.
4% U.S. median

Above the national median for unemployment — and 15.7× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 0%).

BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)

Main Findings

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Trumbull County, Ohio ranks 404th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 5% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.

Key Findings
  • 404th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Most distressed fifth, 3rd in Ohio.
  • 5% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 82nd percentile nationally.
  • Bankruptcy filing rate at 237 — national median 126, ranked at the 83rd percentile.
  • Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 78th percentile.
  • Severe rent burden (50%+) at 21% — national median 18%, ranked at the 69th percentile.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI distress fifths. The 56-point drop to Geauga County marks where the Mahoning Valley distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Trumbull County, Ohio and its neighbors colored by distress fifth.
Trumbull and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Trumbull County ranks 404th of 3,144. American Default Research
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"Trumbull County ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research
Analyst quote — for feature use 29 words

"The CDI places this county in the most distressed fifth nationally. The rank is the important geography signal: it compares the county with every other county-equivalent in the release."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research

The Indicators Behind Trumbull County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Trumbull County's value shown alongside OH'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, where 50 = U.S. county median and higher = more distressed. Percentile is Trumbull County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Trumbull OH median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 69 · Rank 908 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 5% 5% 78th Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 7% 5% 5% 71st Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 25% 24% 23% 57th Urban Institute (2024)
Default & Legal — domain score 74 · Rank 614 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 27% 24% 23% 64th Urban Institute (2024)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 237 187 126 83rd US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 66 · Rank 870 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 23% 20% 21% 64th HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 21% 18% 18% 69th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 82 · Rank 566 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 5% 3% 4% 82nd BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 66 · Rank 948 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 25% 17% 18% 81st Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 17% 15% 16% 64th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 17% 13% 14% 74th Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 31% 26% 27% 71st BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 7% 6% 8% 39th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Data compiled April 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax 2024 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS Dec 2025, QCEW 2024), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2024).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Labor Primary driver 82
Weight 20% · Rank 566 of 3,144
Default & Legal 74
Weight 20% · Rank 614 of 3,144
Delinquency 69
Weight 20% · Rank 908 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 66
Weight 20% · Rank 870 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 66
Weight 20% · Rank 948 of 3,144

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 Trumbull County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 144-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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WARREN, Ohio — Trumbull County ranks 404th 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 71 out of 100 places Trumbull in the most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 403 counties rank more distressed. Within Ohio, Trumbull ranks third of 88 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 labor as the primary driver in Trumbull. 5% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.

"Trumbull County ranks in the most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

Trumbull County scores 71 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the most distressed fifth. It ranks 404th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 3rd of 88 Ohio counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Trumbull County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Labor, at a domain score of 82. Unemployment ranks at the 82nd percentile nationally.

How does Trumbull County compare to its neighbors?

Trumbull County's neighbors span 4 CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Mahoning County (69.91, Most distressed fifth). Lowest: Geauga County (14.03, Least distressed fifth).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 16 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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