#1,968 Texas · 2026

Shackelford County, Texas

Second-least distressed fifth 1,968th of 3,144 counties nationally · 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 (2024)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 26 words · paste-ready

Shackelford County, Texas ranks 1,968th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Shackelford sits near the national median across major distress indicators.

Key Findings
  • 1,968th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-least distressed fifth, 210th in Texas.
  • 8% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 83rd percentile nationally.
  • Debt in collections at 30% — national median 23%, ranked at the 75th percentile.
  • Uninsured rate at 14% — national median 8%, ranked at the 84th percentile.
  • Labor domain score 39 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 18-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 distress fifth.
Shackelford and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Shackelford County ranks 1,968th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire quote — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

"Shackelford County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research
Analyst quote — for feature use 25 words

"The CDI places this county in the second-least distressed fifth nationally. The rank still belongs in context with state position and the highest-scoring local domain."

— Ross Kilburn, Founder, American Default Research

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, where 50 = U.S. county median and higher = more distressed. 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 858 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 7% 5% 74th Urban Institute (2024)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 8% 7% 5% 83rd Urban Institute (2024)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 24% 32% 23% 54th Urban Institute (2024)
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 (2024)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 93 78 126 33rd US Courts F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 8 · Rank 3,078 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 17% 22% 21% 11th HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 5% 17% 18% 5th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Labor — domain score 39 · Rank 1,961 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 39th BLS LAUS (Dec 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 47 · Rank 1,681 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 19% 22% 18% 56th Census SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 19% 16% 16% 77th Census ACS 5-yr (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 13% 15% 14% 44th Census SAIPE (2023)
Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers 16% 26% 27% 10th BEA Regional Personal Income (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 14% 17% 8% 84th 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 70
Weight 20% · Rank 858 of 3,144
Default & Legal 54
Weight 20% · Rank 1,381 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 47
Weight 20% · Rank 1,681 of 3,144
Labor 39
Weight 20% · Rank 1,961 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 8
Weight 20% · Rank 3,078 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 Shackelford County data — in under 60 seconds.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/48417/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Shackelford County, TX — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 141-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 141 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

ALBANY, Texas — Shackelford County ranks 1,968th 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 44 out of 100 places Shackelford in the second-least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,967 counties rank more distressed. Within Texas, Shackelford ranks 210th 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, finds Shackelford sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

"Shackelford County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.

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 44 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, placing it in the second-least distressed fifth. It ranks 1,968th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 210th 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 three CDI distress fifths. Highest-distress neighbor: Jones County (67.38, Most distressed fifth). Lowest: Callahan County (49.51, Middle 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.

Read more
from Ross →