Pecos County, Texas
More than double the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Pecos County, Texas ranks 1,007th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 12% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.
- 1,007th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 121st in Texas.
- 12% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 65th percentile.
- Poverty rate at 21% — national median 14%, ranked at the 89th percentile.
- Debt in collections at 46% — national median 23%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while credit card delinquency runs at the 95th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span two CDI distress fifths. The 29-point drop to Brewster County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
"Pecos 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.
Pecos County's disability rate indicator is at the 5th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 38th percentile. The gap stands out against poverty rate and uninsured rate. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Fort Stockton.
The Indicators Behind Pecos County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Pecos County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Pecos | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 93 · Rank 118 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 7% | 5% | 94th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 7% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 37% | 32% | 23% | 91st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 50 · Rank 1,540 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 46% | 35% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 20 | 78 | 126 | 5th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 30 · Rank 2,400 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 20% | 22% | 21% | 40th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 12% | 17% | 18% | 21st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 65 · Rank 1,138 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 65th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 63 · Rank 1,056 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 22% | 18% | 77th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 9% | 16% | 16% | 5th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 21% | 15% | 14% | 89th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 24% | 26% | 27% | 38th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 15% | 17% | 8% | 87th | 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 Pecos County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 156-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
FORT STOCKTON, Texas — Pecos County ranks 1,007th 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 60 out of 100 places Pecos in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,006 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Pecos ranks 121st 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 delinquency as the primary driver in Pecos. 12% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.
"Pecos 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 Pecos County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Pecos County's distress score?
How does Pecos County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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