#1,854 Oklahoma · 2026

McClain County, Oklahoma

Middle fifth 1,854th of 3,144 counties nationally · 47,072 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
217 McClain residents
vs.
126 U.S. median

Above the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 29.7× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).

US Courts F-5A (2025)

Main Findings

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McClain County, Oklahoma ranks 1,854th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a bankruptcy filing rate of 217 — above the national median of 126.

Key Findings
  • 1,854th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 65th in Oklahoma.
  • A bankruptcy filing rate of 217 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 79th percentile nationally.
  • Subprime credit share at 26% — national median 23%, ranked at the 59th percentile.
  • Severe rent burden (50%+) at 21% — national median 18%, ranked at the 70th percentile.
  • Uninsured rate at 10% — national median 8%, ranked at the 63rd percentile.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 26-point drop to Canadian County marks where the Oklahoma distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. McClain County, Oklahoma and its neighbors colored by distress fifth.
McClain and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. McClain County ranks 1,854th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire quote — paste-ready, any angle 28 words

"McClain County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research
Analyst quote — for feature use 30 words

"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research

The Indicators Behind McClain County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. McClain County's value shown alongside OK'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 McClain County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator McClain OK median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 50 · Rank 1,565 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 5% 7% 5% 43rd Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 5% 6% 5% 47th Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 26% 30% 23% 59th Urban Institute (2024)
Default & Legal — domain score 65 · Rank 930 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 24% 31% 23% 51st Urban Institute (2024)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 217 147 126 79th US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 47 · Rank 1,696 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 18% 21% 21% 23rd HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 21% 16% 18% 70th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 35 · Rank 2,051 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 35th BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 31 · Rank 2,319 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 13% 23% 18% 22nd Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 14% 20% 16% 37th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 10% 17% 14% 16th Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 22% 30% 27% 27th BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 10% 14% 8% 63rd 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.

Default & Legal Primary driver 65
Weight 20% · Rank 930 of 3,144
Delinquency 50
Weight 20% · Rank 1,565 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 47
Weight 20% · Rank 1,696 of 3,144
Labor 35
Weight 20% · Rank 2,051 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 31
Weight 20% · Rank 2,319 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 McClain 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
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PURCELL, Okla. — McClain County ranks 1,854th 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 46 out of 100 places McClain in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,853 counties rank more distressed. Within Oklahoma, McClain ranks 65th of 77 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 default & legal as the primary driver in McClain. A bankruptcy filing rate of 217 — above the national median of 126.

"McClain County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," 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 McClain County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

McClain County scores 46 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the middle fifth. It ranks 1,854th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 65th of 77 Oklahoma counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives McClain County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal, at a domain score of 65. Bankruptcy filing rate ranks at the 79th percentile nationally.

How does McClain County compare to its neighbors?

McClain County's neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Pottawatomie County (71.76, Most distressed fifth). Lowest: Canadian County (46.09, Middle 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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