Brewster County, Texas
Above the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 16.2× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Brewster County, Texas ranks 2,490th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Brewster sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 2,490th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-least distressed fifth, 243rd in Texas.
- 31% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 77th percentile nationally.
- Uninsured rate at 11% — national median 8%, ranked at the 69th percentile.
- Subprime credit share at 26% — national median 23%, ranked at the 63rd percentile.
- Delinquency domain score 32 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
"Brewster County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context."
"The CDI places this county in the second-least distressed fifth nationally. The rank still belongs in context with state position and the highest-scoring local domain."
The Indicators Behind Brewster County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Brewster County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Brewster | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 32 · Rank 2,171 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 7% | 5% | 25th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 7% | 5% | 9th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 26% | 32% | 23% | 63rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 44 · Rank 1,807 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 31% | 35% | 23% | 77th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 53 | 78 | 126 | 11th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 34 · Rank 2,250 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 21% | 22% | 21% | 46th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 13% | 17% | 18% | 22nd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 12 · Rank 2,784 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 2% | 4% | 4% | 12th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 43 · Rank 1,842 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 22% | 18% | 60th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 12% | 16% | 16% | 16th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 15% | 14% | 51st | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 21% | 26% | 27% | 23rd | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 17% | 8% | 69th | 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 Brewster County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 141-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
ALPINE, Texas — Brewster County ranks 2,490th 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 33 out of 100 places Brewster in the second-least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,489 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Brewster ranks 243rd of 254 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, finds Brewster sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Brewster County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context," 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 Brewster County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How does Brewster County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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