#13 Ohio · 2026

Trumbull County, Ohio

75 · high county distress more distressed than 75% of U.S. counties · 13th of 88 counties in Ohio · 200,373 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
5% Trumbull residents
vs.
4% U.S. median

Above the national median for unemployment (average of monthly rates) — and 9.9× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025)

Main Findings

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Trumbull County, Ohio is more distressed than 75% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 5% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 — above the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 13th of 88 counties in Ohio on the County Distress Index — 75 · high county distress, more distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
  • 5% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at the 86th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
  • Bankruptcy filing rate at 237 — national median 126, ranked at the 83rd percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
  • Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 78th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Disability rate at 18% — national median 16%, ranked at the 64th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span five CDI score labels. The 79-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 county distress score label.
Trumbull and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Trumbull County is more distressed than 75% of U.S. counties. American Default Research
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Trumbull County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 32 words

The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.

— 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

5.9% -1.8 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

13.3% +2.4 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

31.3% +25 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

25.2% -3.49 percentage points since 2014 Q2

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; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. 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 Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 7% 5% 5% 71st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 25% 24% 23% 57th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
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 Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 237 187 126 83rd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 52 · Rank 1,407 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 20% 19% 21% 42nd 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 20% 19% 18% 63rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 74 · Rank 600 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) 23% 20% 21% 63rd 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% 4% 4% 86th 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 55 · Rank 1,354 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 17% 16% 17% 50th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 18% 16% 16% 64th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 13% 12% 13% 51st U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 7% 6% 8% 42nd 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.

Labor Primary driver 74
Weight 20% · Rank 600 of 3,144
Default & Legal 74
Weight 20% · Rank 614 of 3,144
Delinquency 69
Weight 20% · Rank 908 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 55
Weight 20% · Rank 1,354 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 52
Weight 20% · Rank 1,407 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 Trumbull County data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
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WARREN, Ohio — Trumbull County is more distressed than 75% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Trumbull scores 75 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 75% of U.S. counties; its score label is high county distress. Within Ohio, Trumbull ranks 13th of 88 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 labor as the primary driver in Trumbull. 5% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 — above the national median of 4%.

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

Trumbull County scores 75 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 75% of U.S. counties. Its score label is high county distress. It ranks 13th 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 74. Unemployment (average of monthly rates) ranks at the 86th percentile nationally.

How does Trumbull County compare to its neighbors?

Trumbull County's neighbors span 5 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Mahoning County (81.00, very high county distress). Lowest: Geauga County (2.00, exceptionally 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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from Ross →