#1,528 Texas · 2026

Scurry County, Texas

Middle fifth 1,528th of 3,144 counties nationally · 16,212 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
35% Scurry residents
vs.
23% U.S. median

Above the national median for subprime credit share.

Urban Institute (2024)

Main Findings

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Scurry County, Texas ranks 1,528th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 35% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%.

Key Findings
  • 1,528th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 173rd in Texas.
  • 35% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 88th percentile nationally.
  • Debt in collections at 46% — national median 23%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
  • Uninsured rate at 19% — national median 8%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
  • Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 51st percentile.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 21-point drop to Borden County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Scurry County, Texas and its neighbors colored by distress fifth.
Scurry and its 5 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Scurry County ranks 1,528th of 3,144. American Default Research
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"Scurry County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research
Analyst quote — for feature use 30 words

"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research

The Indicators Behind Scurry County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Scurry County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain, where 50 = U.S. county median and higher = more distressed. Percentile is Scurry County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Scurry TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 83 · Rank 453 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 8% 7% 5% 82nd Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 7% 7% 5% 78th Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 35% 32% 23% 88th Urban Institute (2024)
Default & Legal — domain score 53 · Rank 1,394 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 56 78 126 12th US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 17 · Rank 2,888 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 19% 22% 21% 28th HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 6% 17% 18% 5th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 51 · Rank 1,571 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 4% 4% 4% 51st BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 53 · Rank 1,459 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 21% 22% 18% 66th Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 14% 16% 16% 33rd Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 16% 15% 14% 66th Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 23% 26% 27% 33rd BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 19% 17% 8% 95th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Data compiled April 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax 2024 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS Dec 2025, QCEW 2024), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2024).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Delinquency Primary driver 83
Weight 20% · Rank 453 of 3,144
Default & Legal 53
Weight 20% · Rank 1,394 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 53
Weight 20% · Rank 1,459 of 3,144
Labor 51
Weight 20% · Rank 1,571 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 17
Weight 20% · Rank 2,888 of 3,144

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 Scurry County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 151-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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SNYDER, Texas — Scurry County ranks 1,528th 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 51 out of 100 places Scurry in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,527 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Scurry ranks 173rd 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 Scurry. 35% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%.

"Scurry County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Scurry County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Scurry County scores 51 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the middle fifth. It ranks 1,528th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 173rd of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Scurry County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 83. Subprime credit share ranks at the 88th percentile nationally.

How does Scurry County compare to its neighbors?

Scurry County's neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Garza County (64.27, Second-most distressed fifth). Lowest: Borden County (43.41, Second-least distressed fifth).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 16 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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