Sterling County, Texas
Above the national median for subprime credit share.
Main Findings
Sterling County, Texas is more distressed than 48% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 37% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency and its lowest is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 184th of 254 counties in Texas on the County Distress Index — 48 · moderate-low county distress, more distressed than 48% of U.S. counties.
- 37% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 91st percentile nationally. Source: Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 25% — national median 18%, ranked at the 86th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Adults 25-54 not working at 22% — national median 21%, ranked at the 55th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Debt in collections at 25% — national median 23%, ranked at the 55th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Unemployment is 3%, near the national median of 4%, while subprime credit share runs at the 91st percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 36-point drop to Glasscock County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
Sterling County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.
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.
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 Sterling County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Sterling County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Sterling | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 79 · Rank 554 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 | 7% | 7% | 5% | 73rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 37% | 32% | 23% | 91st | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 40 · Rank 1,996 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 25% | 35% | 23% | 55th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 78 | 78 | 126 | 25th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 47 · Rank 1,676 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 16% | 22% | 21% | 8th | 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 | 25% | 17% | 18% | 86th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 45 · Rank 1,824 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% | 55th | 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% | 34th | 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 37 · Rank 2,121 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 13% | 20% | 17% | 28th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 13% | 16% | 16% | 21st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 11% | 15% | 13% | 29th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 26% | 17% | 8% | 95th | 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 Sterling County data.
Draft wire copy 127-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
STERLING CITY, Texas — Sterling County is more distressed than 48% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Sterling scores 48 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 48% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate-low county distress. Within Texas, Sterling ranks 184th 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 Sterling. 37% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) — above the national median of 23%.
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 Sterling County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Sterling County's distress score?
How does Sterling County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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