#4 Oklahoma · 2026

Muskogee County, Oklahoma

94 · extreme county distress more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties · 4th of 77 counties in Oklahoma · 66,677 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
9% Muskogee residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

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Muskogee County, Oklahoma is more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 4th of 77 counties in Oklahoma on the County Distress Index — 94 · extreme county distress, more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
  • 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 91st percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 87th 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 24% — national median 16%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Debt in collections at 35% — national median 23%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 54-point drop to Wagoner County marks where the Oklahoma distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Muskogee County, Oklahoma and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Muskogee and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Muskogee County is more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties. American Default Research
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Muskogee County has an extreme county distress score. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 37 words

The CDI gives this county an extreme county distress label. The score is the plain-language signal; the national rank separately shows how the county compares with every other county-equivalent in the release. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— 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

4.7% -1.3 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

19.6% -1.9 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

36.8% +20.8 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

34.0% -3.89 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Muskogee County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Muskogee 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; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Muskogee County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Muskogee OK median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 87 · Rank 317 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 8% 7% 5% 85th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 9% 6% 5% 91st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 34% 30% 23% 85th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 82 · Rank 345 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 35% 31% 23% 86th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 218 147 126 79th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 57 · Rank 1,187 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 21% 20% 21% 48th 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 21% 16% 18% 66th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 86 · Rank 272 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) 28% 26% 21% 85th 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% 87th 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 85 · Rank 196 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 24% 22% 17% 78th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 24% 20% 16% 93rd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 20% 17% 13% 86th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 14% 13% 8% 86th 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.

Delinquency Primary driver 87
Weight 20% · Rank 317 of 3,144
Labor 86
Weight 20% · Rank 272 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 85
Weight 20% · Rank 196 of 3,144
Default & Legal 82
Weight 20% · Rank 345 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 57
Weight 20% · Rank 1,187 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 Muskogee County data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
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MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Muskogee County is more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Muskogee scores 94 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties; its score label is extreme county distress. Within Oklahoma, Muskogee ranks fourth of 77 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 delinquency as the primary driver in Muskogee. 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.

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

Muskogee County scores 94 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 94% of U.S. counties. Its score label is extreme county distress. It ranks 4th of 77 Oklahoma counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Muskogee County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 87. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 91st percentile nationally.

How does Muskogee County compare to its neighbors?

Muskogee County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Okmulgee County (94.00, extreme county distress). Lowest: Wagoner County (40.00, moderate-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 →