Delaware Financial Distress Profile

The credit card delinquency rate in Delaware is 12.2% as of Q4 2025, ranking #16 among the 51 states and DC, 0.2 percentage points below the U.S. 12.4%. It is up 3.6 percentage points from 8.6% in Q4 2019.

The NY Fed reports a $66,170 total debt balance per adult with a credit file in Delaware, $2,970 above the U.S. $63,200 on the same basis. That is 19.7% higher than in Q4 2019. Delaware ranks #18 on that basis.

Auto loan delinquency in Delaware is 6.1% as of Q4 2025, 0.9 percentage points above the U.S. 5.2%. This ranks #10 of 51. The rate is up from 5.5% in Q4 2019.

Delaware mainly uses judicial foreclosure, which goes through the courts. See our Delaware foreclosure guide for the timeline, homeowner protections and where to get free help.

Delaware scores 84 on the State Distress Index (very high state distress), which means it is more distressed than 84% of the 50 states and D.C.. It ranks #9 of 51 jurisdictions, in the most distressed fifth. The score is built from 4 equal-weighted domains: delinquency, default and legal, debt burden on a housing basis, and labor. It ranks states against each other at one time. Separately, the national American Distress Index reads 47.0 (Typical) for the country over time. The composite itself sits higher than 44% of all published quarters since 2005.

The CFPB has received 2,230 mortgage complaints from Delaware since 2012, 216.1 per 100,000 residents, 81.1 above the U.S. rate of 135. That ranks #4 of 51. Companies responded to 98.5% of Delaware complaints on time.

Delaware had 2,331 bankruptcy filings in the 12-month period ending Dec 2025, 225.9 per 100,000 residents, 56.8 above the U.S. rate of 169.1. This ranks #10 of 51. Chapter 7 filings account for 48.1% and Chapter 13 for 24.4%. That is 15.3% fewer filings than in 2024.

16.0% of people with a credit file in Delaware have debt in collections, 2.1 percentage points above the U.S. average of 13.9%. This ranks #16 of 51. 18.3% have subprime credit scores (below 620), 1.4 percentage points above the U.S. average of 16.9%. Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Consumer Credit Explorer (NY Fed / Equifax), Q1 2025.

101,658 residents of Delaware received SNAP benefits in June 2026, an enrollment rate of 9.8%, 0.9 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 10.8%. This ranks #27 of 51. That is 14.4% fewer people than in June 2025. The rate is 1.6 percentage points below the October 2019 to February 2020 average.

Delaware scores 48.3 out of 100 on the Safety Net Index, ranking #18 of 51 (Weak). The score combines Medicaid coverage (18.7% enrollment rate, expansion state), SNAP enrollment (9.8%), and foreclosure legal protections. That is above the state average of 43.6.

Kent County is the most distressed county in Delaware with a County Distress Index score of 76 · high county distress. New Castle County (60 · moderate-high county distress), Sussex County (42 · moderate-low county distress) are next. Sussex County is the least distressed at 42 · moderate-low county distress. See all 3 counties at /counties/delaware/.

Delaware mainly uses judicial foreclosure, which goes through the courts. The timeline varies by county and case. Paying to stop the foreclosure: For an owner-occupied 1- to 4-family primary home, Delaware law generally bars filing a foreclosure until 45 days after the lender sends a notice of intent to foreclose, and the notice must state the amount required to cure the default and reinstate the loan. Your mortgage contract may also set a cure period after notice of default. For an ordinary delinquency-based foreclosure of a mortgage secured by the borrower's principal residence and serviced by a servicer subject to Regulation X, the rule generally prevents the servicer from making the first notice or filing until the loan is more than 120 days delinquent; due-on-sale and superior- or subordinate-lienholder joinder exceptions apply. Homestead exemption: Up to $200,000 of equity in your principal residence, but only in a bankruptcy or state insolvency case. Outside those cases, a judgment creditor can have real estate seized and sold when there is not enough personal property to pay the debt. Full details at /help/foreclosure/delaware/.

Delaware scores 84 on the State Distress Index (very high state distress), which means it is more distressed than 84% of the 50 states and D.C.. It ranks #9 of 51 jurisdictions, in the most distressed fifth. 4 of 5 NY Fed household debt measures are above the U.S. figure. The State Distress Index domain with the highest score is Labor. County Distress Index details are listed separately by county. The safety net ranks #18 (Weak).