#51 Texas · 2026

Victoria County, Texas

83 · very high county distress more distressed than 83% of U.S. counties · 51st of 254 counties in Texas · 91,664 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
9% Victoria residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Above the national median for credit card delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 47 words · paste-ready

Victoria County, Texas is more distressed than 83% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 9% 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 Default & Legal.

Key Findings
  • 51st of 254 counties in Texas on the County Distress Index — 83 · very high county distress, more distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
  • 9% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 88th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Severe rent burden (50%+) at 25% — national median 18%, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Uninsured rate at 17% — national median 8%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 61st percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span five CDI score labels. The 66-point drop to Lavaca County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Victoria County, Texas and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Victoria and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Victoria County is more distressed than 83% of U.S. counties. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 19 words

Victoria County has a very high county distress score. The domain table shows which local pressure carries the composite.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 26 words

The CDI gives this county a very high county distress label. The five-domain profile shows which local pressures carry the score. 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
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

4.1% -0.5 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

14.3% -1.7 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

24.0% +17.2 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

34.5% -6.11 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Victoria County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Victoria 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 Victoria County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Victoria TX median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 87 · Rank 314 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 9% 7% 5% 88th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 9% 7% 5% 88th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 34% 32% 23% 87th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 56 · Rank 1,277 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 38% 35% 23% 91st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 72 78 126 20th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 86 · Rank 242 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 25% 22% 21% 85th 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% 87th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 56 · Rank 1,309 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) 21% 22% 21% 52nd 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% 61st 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 63 · Rank 1,062 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 20% 20% 17% 64th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 16% 16% 16% 51st U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 14% 15% 13% 59th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 17% 17% 8% 93rd 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 87
Weight 20% · Rank 314 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 86
Weight 20% · Rank 242 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 63
Weight 20% · Rank 1,062 of 3,144
Labor 56
Weight 20% · Rank 1,309 of 3,144
Default & Legal 56
Weight 20% · Rank 1,277 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 Victoria County data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
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VICTORIA, Texas — Victoria County is more distressed than 83% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Victoria scores 83 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 83% of U.S. counties; its score label is very high county distress. Within Texas, Victoria ranks 51st 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 Victoria. 9% 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 Victoria County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Victoria County scores 83 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 83% of U.S. counties. Its score label is very high county distress. It ranks 51st of 254 Texas counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Victoria County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 87. Credit card delinquency ranks at the 88th percentile nationally.

How does Victoria County compare to its neighbors?

Victoria County's neighbors span 5 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Refugio County (84.00, very high county distress). Lowest: Lavaca County (18.00, very low 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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