Edwards County, Texas
Above the national median for child poverty rate — and 11.2× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Douglas County, CO — 3%).
Main Findings
Edwards County, Texas ranks 1,081st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 35% of children live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 18%.
- 1,081st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 131st in Texas.
- 35% of children live below the federal poverty line (U.S. median 18%). Child poverty rate at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Debt in collections at 35% — national median 23%, ranked at the 86th percentile.
- Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 74th percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 24% — national median 21%, ranked at the 71st percentile.
Neighbors span four CDI distress fifths. The 28-point drop to Kerr County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
"Edwards County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix."
"The CDI places this county in the second-most distressed fifth nationally. The county sits above the median distress position, with the five-domain profile showing which local pressures carry the score."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
35% of children under 18 in Edwards County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
The Indicators Behind Edwards County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Edwards County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Edwards | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 73 · Rank 744 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 74th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 73rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 29% | 32% | 23% | 72nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 82 · Rank 347 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 35% | 35% | 23% | 86th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 215 | 78 | 126 | 78th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 44 · Rank 1,814 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 22% | 21% | 71st | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 12% | 17% | 18% | 17th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 12 · Rank 2,782 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 2% | 4% | 4% | 12th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 84 · Rank 265 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 35% | 22% | 18% | 95th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 16% | 16% | 66th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 15% | 14% | 85th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 33% | 26% | 27% | 77th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 24% | 17% | 8% | 95th | 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 Edwards County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 155-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
ROCKSPRINGS, Texas — Edwards County ranks 1,081st 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 59 out of 100 places Edwards in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,080 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Edwards ranks 131st 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, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Edwards. 35% of children live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 18%.
"Edwards County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix," 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 Edwards County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Edwards County's distress score?
How does Edwards County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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