Gaines County, Texas
Above the national median for adults 25-54 not working — and 14.8× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Thomas County, NE — 2%).
Main Findings
Gaines County, Texas is more distressed than 35% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. Gaines sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 224th of 254 counties in Texas on the County Distress Index — 35 · low-moderate county distress, more distressed than 35% of U.S. counties.
- 30% of adults aged 25 to 54 are not working (U.S. median 21%). Adults 25-54 not working at the 89th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Subprime credit share at 30% — national median 23%, ranked at the 75th percentile. Source: Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025).
- Uninsured rate at 37% — national median 8%, ranked at the 100th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Debt in collections at 27% — national median 23%, ranked at the 64th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 41-point drop to Martin County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
Gaines County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.
The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to Urban Institute Debt in America (2025), Gaines County's auto loan delinquency indicator is at the 12th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Delinquency domain at or above the 72nd percentile. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Seminole.
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 Gaines County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Gaines County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Gaines | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 53 · Rank 1,474 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 7% | 5% | 12th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 72nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 30% | 32% | 23% | 75th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 36 · Rank 2,187 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 27% | 35% | 23% | 64th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 44 | 78 | 126 | 8th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 13 · Rank 2,989 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 17% | 22% | 21% | 15th | 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 | 9% | 17% | 18% | 11th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 54 · Rank 1,405 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) | 30% | 22% | 21% | 89th | 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) | 3% | 4% | 4% | 19th | 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 51 · Rank 1,559 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 20% | 17% | 64th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 16% | 16% | 10th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 12% | 15% | 13% | 42nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 37% | 17% | 8% | 100th | 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 Gaines County data.
Draft wire copy 122-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SEMINOLE, Texas — Gaines County is more distressed than 35% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Gaines scores 35 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 35% of U.S. counties; its score label is low-moderate county distress. Within Texas, Gaines ranks 224th 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, finds Gaines sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
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 Gaines County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Gaines County's distress score?
How does Gaines County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Gaines County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →