#212 Texas · 2026

Shackelford County, Texas

41 · moderate-low county distress more distressed than 41% of U.S. counties · 212th of 254 counties in Texas · 3,229 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
8% Shackelford residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

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Shackelford County, Texas is more distressed than 41% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 212th of 254 counties in Texas on the County Distress Index — 41 · moderate-low county distress, more distressed than 41% of U.S. counties.
  • 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 83rd percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Debt in collections at 30% — national median 23%, ranked at the 75th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Uninsured rate at 13% — national median 8%, ranked at the 85th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Labor domain score 41 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 31-point drop to Callahan County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Shackelford County, Texas and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Shackelford and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Shackelford County is more distressed than 41% of U.S. counties. American Default Research
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Shackelford County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 30 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Sep 22, 2026
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.3% +0.6 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

12.1% -2 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

16.5% +1.8 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

24.3% -9.52 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Shackelford County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Shackelford 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; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Shackelford County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Shackelford TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 70 · Rank 857 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 7% 5% 74th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 8% 7% 5% 83rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 24% 32% 23% 54th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 54 · Rank 1,381 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 30% 35% 23% 75th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 93 78 126 33rd Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 12 · Rank 3,010 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 17% 22% 21% 11th 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 10% 17% 18% 12th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 41 · Rank 1,975 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) 20% 22% 21% 45th 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) 4% 4% 4% 37th 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 50 · Rank 1,575 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 15% 20% 17% 40th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 16% 16% 16% 52nd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 12% 15% 13% 41st U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 13% 17% 8% 85th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Compiled September 30, 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2024, SAIPE 2024, Business Formation Statistics 2025), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS August 2026, QCEW 2025), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2027).

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 70
Weight 20% · Rank 857 of 3,144
Default & Legal 54
Weight 20% · Rank 1,381 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 50
Weight 20% · Rank 1,575 of 3,144
Labor 41
Weight 20% · Rank 1,975 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 12
Weight 20% · Rank 3,010 of 3,144

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 Shackelford County data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
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ALBANY, Texas — Shackelford County is more distressed than 41% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Shackelford scores 41 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 41% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate-low county distress. Within Texas, Shackelford ranks 212th 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 delinquency as the primary driver in Shackelford. 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.

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.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Shackelford County scores 41 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 41% of U.S. counties. Its score label is moderate-low county distress. It ranks 212th of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Shackelford County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 70. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 83rd percentile nationally.

How does Shackelford County compare to its neighbors?

Shackelford County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Jones County (85.00, very high county distress). Lowest: Callahan County (54.00, moderate county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI averages 14 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer, then ranks that average against every other county, so the score is the share of U.S. counties a county is more distressed than. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Ross Kilburn is the former COO of Ark Law Group, a foreclosure defense firm serving five states. He founded Seattle Short Sales, wrote Short Sale Your Home, and worked as a mortgage loan originator and real estate agent. He founded American Default Research in 2026.

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from Ross →