Waller County, Texas
Above the national median for unemployment (average of monthly rates) — and 10.4× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Waller County, Texas is more distressed than 70% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 6% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 — above the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor and its lowest is Safety Net & Buffer.
- 108th of 254 counties in Texas on the County Distress Index — 70 · high county distress, more distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
- 6% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at the 88th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
- Subprime credit share at 33% — national median 23%, ranked at the 83rd percentile. Source: Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 20% — national median 18%, ranked at the 64th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Debt in collections at 30% — national median 23%, ranked at the 73rd percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 44-point drop to Washington County marks where the Texas distress corridor ends.
Waller County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position.
The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
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 Waller County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Waller County's value shown alongside TX's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Waller | TX median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 74 · Rank 718 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 7% | 5% | 56th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 7% | 5% | 82nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 32% | 23% | 83rd | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 51 · Rank 1,511 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 30% | 35% | 23% | 73rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 85 | 78 | 126 | 28th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 61 · Rank 1,015 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 59th | 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 | 20% | 17% | 18% | 64th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 80 · Rank 438 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) | 24% | 22% | 21% | 71st | 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) | 6% | 4% | 4% | 88th | 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 44 · Rank 1,840 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 16% | 20% | 17% | 46th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 16% | 16% | 7th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 15% | 13% | 53rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 20% | 17% | 8% | 97th | 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 Waller County data.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
HEMPSTEAD, Texas — Waller County is more distressed than 70% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Waller scores 70 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 70% of U.S. counties; its score label is high county distress. Within Texas, Waller ranks 108th 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 labor as the primary driver in Waller. 6% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 — above the national median of 4%.
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 Waller County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Waller County's distress score?
How does Waller County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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