Deaf Smith County, Texas
Above the national median for subprime credit share.
Main Findings
Deaf Smith County, Texas is more distressed than 70% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 39% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency and its lowest is Labor.
- 109th of 254 counties in Texas on the County Distress Index — 70 · high county distress, more distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
- 39% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025).
- Uninsured rate at 21% — national median 8%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Rent-to-income ratio at 22% — national median 21%, ranked at the 59th percentile. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Debt in collections at 40% — national median 23%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while subprime credit share runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 50-point drop to Randall County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
Deaf Smith County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
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 Delinquency.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024), Deaf Smith County's disability rate indicator is at the 5th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 64th percentile. The gap stands out against uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Hereford.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Deaf Smith County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Deaf Smith County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Deaf Smith | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 88 · Rank 280 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 76th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 10% | 7% | 5% | 94th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 39% | 32% | 23% | 95th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 55 · Rank 1,325 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 40% | 35% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 60 | 78 | 126 | 15th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 55 · Rank 1,270 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 59th | 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 | 18% | 17% | 18% | 52nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 47 · Rank 1,751 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) | 22% | 22% | 21% | 55th | 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) | 4% | 4% | 4% | 38th | 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 63 · Rank 1,048 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 23% | 20% | 17% | 77th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 8% | 16% | 16% | 5th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 17% | 15% | 13% | 75th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 21% | 17% | 8% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
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 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 Deaf Smith County data.
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
HEREFORD, Texas — Deaf Smith County is more distressed than 70% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Deaf Smith scores 70 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 70% of U.S. counties; its score label is high county distress. Within Texas, Deaf Smith ranks 109th of 254 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 Deaf Smith. 39% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Deaf Smith County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Deaf Smith County's distress score?
How does Deaf Smith County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Deaf Smith County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →