Harris County, Texas
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Harris County, Texas is more distressed than 85% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 26% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis) and its lowest is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 40th of 254 counties in Texas on the County Distress Index — 85 · very high county distress, more distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
- 26% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 89th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Subprime credit share at 34% — national median 23%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025).
- Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 75th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
- Debt in collections at 35% — national median 23%, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span five CDI score labels. The 53-point drop to Fort Bend County marks where the Houston metro area distress corridor ends.
Harris County has a very high county distress score. The domain table shows which local pressure carries the composite.
The CDI gives this county a very high county distress label. The five-domain profile shows which local pressures carry the score. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
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), Harris County's disability rate indicator is at the 8th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 30th percentile. The gap stands out against uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Houston.
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 Harris County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Harris County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Harris | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 83 · Rank 440 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 | 7% | 7% | 5% | 78th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 32% | 23% | 86th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 65 · Rank 927 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 35% | 35% | 23% | 87th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 115 | 78 | 126 | 44th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 84 · Rank 310 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 24% | 22% | 21% | 79th | 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 | 26% | 17% | 18% | 89th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 65 · Rank 932 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% | 56th | 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% | 75th | 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 57 · Rank 1,288 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 | 11% | 16% | 16% | 8th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 17% | 15% | 13% | 74th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 21% | 17% | 8% | 97th | 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 Harris County data.
Draft wire copy 131-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
HOUSTON, Texas — Harris County is more distressed than 85% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Harris scores 85 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 85% of U.S. counties; its score label is very high county distress. Within Texas, Harris ranks 40th 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 debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Harris. 26% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
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 Harris County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Harris County's distress score?
How does Harris County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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