Where the job market is strong and the bills go unpaid
A low unemployment rate is supposed to mean households are doing fine. In 8 states it doesn't. Unemployment in August 2026 was below the U.S. rate of 4.1%, while the share of loan balances 90 or more days past due was above the U.S. figure on at least two of three loan types (credit cards, auto loans and mortgages) in Q4 2025. They are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.
| State | Unemployment, August 2026 | vs U.S. rate | Card 90+ days | Auto 90+ days | Mortgage 90+ days | Loan types above U.S. | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 3.4% | −0.7 percentage points | 12.2% | 6.5% ▲ | 1.15% ▲ | 2 of 3 | Strong jobs · high bills |
| Arkansas | 3.9% | −0.2 percentage points | 13.8% ▲ | 5.6% ▲ | 1.08% ▲ | 3 of 3 | Strong jobs · high bills |
| Georgia | 3.2% | −0.9 percentage points | 13.9% ▲ | 7.0% ▲ | 1.27% ▲ | 3 of 3 | Strong jobs · high bills |
| Indiana | 3.3% | −0.8 percentage points | 11.7% | 6.3% ▲ | 1.10% ▲ | 2 of 3 | Strong jobs · high bills |
| Mississippi | 3.4% | −0.7 percentage points | 13.4% ▲ | 7.7% ▲ | 1.71% ▲ | 3 of 3 | Strong jobs · high bills |
| North Carolina | 3.5% | −0.6 percentage points | 12.5% ▲ | 6.1% ▲ | 0.89% | 2 of 3 | Strong jobs · high bills |
| Ohio | 3.3% | −0.8 percentage points | 11.1% | 5.3% ▲ | 0.96% ▲ | 2 of 3 | Strong jobs · high bills |
| West Virginia | 4.0% | −0.1 percentage points | 13.7% ▲ | 5.3% ▲ | 1.15% ▲ | 3 of 3 | Strong jobs · high bills |
| Colorado | 4.0% | −0.1 percentage points | 11.1% | 4.0% | 0.75% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Hawaii | 2.7% | −1.4 percentage points | 10.2% | 3.7% | 0.56% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Idaho | 3.6% | −0.5 percentage points | 9.5% | 3.3% | 0.74% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Iowa | 3.2% | −0.9 percentage points | 10.3% | 3.5% | 0.81% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Kansas | 3.8% | −0.3 percentage points | 10.7% | 4.0% | 0.82% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Maine | 3.2% | −0.9 percentage points | 9.8% | 3.1% | 0.84% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Missouri | 3.5% | −0.6 percentage points | 11.3% | 5.5% ▲ | 0.84% | 1 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Montana | 3.2% | −0.9 percentage points | 9.8% | 4.0% | 0.50% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Nebraska | 2.9% | −1.2 percentage points | 9.8% | 3.3% | 0.65% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| New Hampshire | 2.8% | −1.3 percentage points | 9.8% | 3.0% | 0.61% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| North Dakota | 2.2% | −1.9 percentage points | 9.0% | 2.9% | 0.94% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Pennsylvania | 3.7% | −0.4 percentage points | 12.3% | 4.8% | 1.10% ▲ | 1 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Rhode Island | 3.7% | −0.4 percentage points | 11.4% | 3.5% | 1.00% ▲ | 1 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| South Dakota | 2.0% | −2.1 percentage points | 9.1% | 3.6% | 0.79% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Tennessee | 3.4% | −0.7 percentage points | 11.6% | 5.7% ▲ | 0.72% | 1 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Utah | 3.5% | −0.6 percentage points | 9.4% | 3.0% | 0.70% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Vermont | 2.6% | −1.5 percentage points | 9.0% | 2.8% | 0.62% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Virginia | 3.6% | −0.5 percentage points | 9.8% | 4.6% | 0.65% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Wisconsin | 3.2% | −0.9 percentage points | 8.0% | 3.6% | 0.47% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Wyoming | 3.0% | −1.1 percentage points | 10.5% | 3.5% | 0.76% | 0 of 3 | Strong jobs · bills in check |
| Arizona | 4.9% | +0.8 percentage points | 13.7% ▲ | 5.6% ▲ | 0.94% | 2 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| Delaware | 4.7% | +0.6 percentage points | 12.2% | 6.1% ▲ | 1.13% ▲ | 2 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| District of Columbia | 5.7% | +1.6 percentage points | 11.2% | 13.6% ▲ | 1.01% ▲ | 2 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| Florida | 4.5% | +0.4 percentage points | 14.9% ▲ | 5.5% ▲ | 1.43% ▲ | 3 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| Illinois | 4.7% | +0.6 percentage points | 11.6% | 5.6% ▲ | 1.15% ▲ | 2 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| Louisiana | 4.2% | +0.1 percentage points | 14.2% ▲ | 6.5% ▲ | 1.83% ▲ | 3 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| Maryland | 4.1% | Same | 11.7% | 6.0% ▲ | 1.11% ▲ | 2 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| Nevada | 4.8% | +0.7 percentage points | 16.3% ▲ | 6.2% ▲ | 0.86% | 2 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| New Mexico | 4.7% | +0.6 percentage points | 11.9% | 6.1% ▲ | 1.01% ▲ | 2 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| New York | 4.3% | +0.2 percentage points | 12.9% ▲ | 4.3% | 1.36% ▲ | 2 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| Oklahoma | 4.3% | +0.2 percentage points | 13.3% ▲ | 5.5% ▲ | 1.32% ▲ | 3 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| South Carolina | 4.1% | Same | 13.4% ▲ | 6.2% ▲ | 1.15% ▲ | 3 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| Texas | 4.4% | +0.3 percentage points | 14.2% ▲ | 5.8% ▲ | 1.21% ▲ | 3 of 3 | Softer jobs · high bills |
| Alaska | 4.3% | +0.2 percentage points | 9.8% | 2.9% | 0.72% | 0 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
| California | 5.1% | +1 percentage point | 13.2% ▲ | 4.8% | 0.63% | 1 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
| Connecticut | 5.1% | +1 percentage point | 10.5% | 3.1% | 0.97% ▲ | 1 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
| Kentucky | 4.7% | +0.6 percentage points | 11.8% | 4.9% | 1.04% ▲ | 1 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
| Massachusetts | 4.3% | +0.2 percentage points | 10.3% | 2.6% | 0.72% | 0 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
| Michigan | 5.0% | +0.9 percentage points | 11.3% | 6.3% ▲ | 0.86% | 1 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
| Minnesota | 4.4% | +0.3 percentage points | 8.6% | 3.0% | 0.63% | 0 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
| New Jersey | 4.3% | +0.2 percentage points | 11.4% | 4.2% | 1.12% ▲ | 1 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
| Oregon | 5.1% | +1 percentage point | 9.5% | 3.6% | 0.64% | 0 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
| Washington | 4.9% | +0.8 percentage points | 9.3% | 3.8% | 0.57% | 0 of 3 | Softer jobs · bills in check |
How to read this
Unemployment is each state's seasonally adjusted rate for August 2026 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), set against the U.S. rate for the same month. The three delinquency columns are the share of each loan type's balances 90 or more days past due in Q4 2025, from the New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. A ▲ marks a rate above the New York Fed's U.S. figure for that loan type (credit cards 12.4%, auto loans 5.2%, mortgages 0.94%).
A state is in the strong-jobs groups when its unemployment rate is below the U.S. rate, and in the high-bills groups when its delinquency rate is above the U.S. figure on at least two of the three loan types. The two sources cover different periods, so the grouping pairs the latest month of jobs data with the latest year-end credit data. The comparisons with the U.S. figures are American Default Research calculations from the BLS and New York Fed data.
More distress rankings
Three more views of household distress. See the national top 100 most distressed counties, the most distressed county in every state, and bankruptcy filing rates by county.