While they are not the only measure of indebtedness, the percentage of adults with debt in collections and the median amount of such debts are good measures of the degree to which people struggle to pay what they owe.
The Urban Institute considers debt in collections “to include debt accounts (e.g., credit cards) that were previously more than 180 days past due and have been closed and charged off,” as well as unpaid student and car loans, medical and utility bills, parking tickets, child support payments, and membership fees that have been referred to a credit bureau.
Medical debt can be particularly debilitating. Credit Karma, for instance, reports that its members’ medical debt spiked by $2.8 billion between the end of May 2020 and the end of March 2021. The number of people who had medical debt that was past due increased to 21.4 million from 19.6 million. (Click here to see how many people in your state are burdened with medical debt.)
Click here to see the counties where people are struggling the most in debt.
To identify the counties where most people have debt in collections, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the “Debt in America 2021” report, based on credit bureau information from 2020, published by the non-profit think tank the Urban Institute.
Overall, according to the Urban Institute, more than 70 million Americans have debt in collections, and certain parts of the country are more affected than others. Of the 50 U.S. counties with the highest percentage of adults facing debt collectors, 22 are in Texas — and in one Texas county, nearly 70% have debt in collections. (Here are 16 counties where poverty is worse than you might think.)
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50. Humphreys County, Mississippi
> Share with any debt in collections: 55.6%
> Median debt in collections: $1,208 — #2,162 out of 2,327 counties
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49. Perry County, Alabama
> Share with any debt in collections: 55.7%
> Median debt in collections: $1,244 — #2,129 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: dhughes9 / iStock via Getty Images
48. Shelby County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 55.9%
> Median debt in collections: $1,552 — #1,642 out of 2,327 counties
47. Falls County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 56.4%
> Median debt in collections: $2,504 — #195 out of 2,327 counties
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46. Union County, South Carolina
> Share with any debt in collections: 56.5%
> Median debt in collections: $2,334 — #331 out of 2,327 counties
45. Ector County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 56.6%
> Median debt in collections: $2,331 — #337 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: Z28scrambler / Wikimedia Commons
44. St. Helena Parish, Louisiana
> Share with any debt in collections: 56.6%
> Median debt in collections: $3,280 — #26 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
43. Willacy County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 56.7%
> Median debt in collections: $2,648 — #136 out of 2,327 counties
42. Dillon County, South Carolina
> Share with any debt in collections: 56.7%
> Median debt in collections: $1,968 — #830 out of 2,327 counties
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41. Reeves County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 56.7%
> Median debt in collections: $2,158 — #509 out of 2,327 counties
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40. Pecos County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 56.8%
> Median debt in collections: $2,639 — #141 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons
39. East Carroll Parish, Louisiana
> Share with any debt in collections: 57.0%
> Median debt in collections: $1,345 — #1,983 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: dhughes9 / iStock via Getty Images
38. Bee County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 57.4%
> Median debt in collections: $2,861 — #79 out of 2,327 counties
37. Lee County, Arkansas
> Share with any debt in collections: 57.4%
> Median debt in collections: $1,728 — #1,281 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: Indy beetle / Wikimedia Commons
36. Edgecombe County, North Carolina
> Share with any debt in collections: 57.5%
> Median debt in collections: $1,978 — #804 out of 2,327 counties
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35. Reagan County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 57.6%
> Median debt in collections: Not available
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34. Claiborne County, Mississippi
> Share with any debt in collections: 57.7%
> Median debt in collections: $2,666 — #127 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Larry D. Moore / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ward_county_courthouse_2009.jpg / Wikimedia Commons
33. Ward County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 57.7%
> Median debt in collections: $2,265 — #393 out of 2,327 counties
32. Bertie County, North Carolina
> Share with any debt in collections: 57.8%
> Median debt in collections: $1,594 — #1,558 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: Crimsonedge34 / Wikimedia Commons
31. Tillman County, Oklahoma
> Share with any debt in collections: 58.0%
> Median debt in collections: Not available
Source: Flickr user chiacomo / Wikimedia Commons
30. Lake County, Tennessee
> Share with any debt in collections: 58.1%
> Median debt in collections: Not available
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Source: Brandonrush / Wikimedia Commons
29. Chicot County, Arkansas
> Share with any debt in collections: 58.1%
> Median debt in collections: $1,143 — #2,209 out of 2,327 counties
28. Frio County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 58.3%
> Median debt in collections: $1,989 — #783 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons
27. Todd County, South Dakota
> Share with any debt in collections: 58.5%
> Median debt in collections: $2,524 — #184 out of 2,327 counties
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26. Jack County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 58.6%
> Median debt in collections: $1,999 — #768 out of 2,327 counties
Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
25. Stephens County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 58.6%
> Median debt in collections: $2,422 — #243 out of 2,327 counties
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24. Winkler County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 59.0%
> Median debt in collections: $2,479 — #212 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Chris Crookston / Wikimedia Commons
23. Coahoma County, Mississippi
> Share with any debt in collections: 59.0%
> Median debt in collections: $1,731 — #1,274 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Larry D. Moore / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nolan_County_Texas_Courthouse_2015.jpg / Wikimedia Commons
22. Nolan County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 59.0%
> Median debt in collections: $2,000 — #765 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: Upstateherd / Wikimedia Commons
21. Warren County, Georgia
> Share with any debt in collections: 59.2%
> Median debt in collections: $2,108 — #584 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Kbh3rd / Wikimedia Commons
20. Pemiscot County, Missouri
> Share with any debt in collections: 59.3%
> Median debt in collections: $2,109 — #581 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: Calvin Beale / Wikimedia Commons
19. Barnwell County, South Carolina
> Share with any debt in collections: 59.6%
> Median debt in collections: $1,998 — #771 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Ammodramus / Wikimedia Commons
18. Lee County, South Carolina
> Share with any debt in collections: 60.2%
> Median debt in collections: $2,527 — #180 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons
17. Zavala County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 60.4%
> Median debt in collections: $2,782 — #96 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: Badagnani / Wikimedia Commons
16. Mingo County, West Virginia
> Share with any debt in collections: 60.4%
> Median debt in collections: $1,648 — #1,451 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Ardelta / Wikimedia Commons
15. St. Francis County, Arkansas
> Share with any debt in collections: 60.6%
> Median debt in collections: $1,532 — #1,683 out of 2,327 counties
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14. Marlboro County, South Carolina
> Share with any debt in collections: 60.9%
> Median debt in collections: $1,879 — #982 out of 2,327 counties
13. Jim Hogg County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 61.5%
> Median debt in collections: Not available
Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
12. Zapata County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 61.9%
> Median debt in collections: $2,193 — #468 out of 2,327 counties
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11. Madison Parish, Louisiana
> Share with any debt in collections: 62.0%
> Median debt in collections: $2,440 — #233 out of 2,327 counties
10. Tunica County, Mississippi
> Share with any debt in collections: 62.0%
> Median debt in collections: $1,614 — #1,508 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: Larry D. Moore / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_wells_courthouse.jpg / Wikimedia Commons
9. Jim Wells County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 62.6%
> Median debt in collections: $3,469 — #16 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Jacqueline Nix / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
8. Stewart County, Georgia
> Share with any debt in collections: 63.0%
> Median debt in collections: $1,166 — #2,200 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images
7. Marion County, South Carolina
> Share with any debt in collections: 63.0%
> Median debt in collections: $1,914 — #909 out of 2,327 counties
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6. Duval County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 63.2%
> Median debt in collections: $2,895 — #71 out of 2,327 counties
Source: 25or6to4 / Wikimedia Commons
5. Brooks County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 64.9%
> Median debt in collections: $2,391 — #271 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: Upstateherd / Wikimedia Commons
4. Allendale County, South Carolina
> Share with any debt in collections: 65.0%
> Median debt in collections: $3,108 — #36 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Taber Andrew Bain (user:taberandrew) / Wikimedia Commons
3. Franklin city, Virginia
> Share with any debt in collections: 65.9%
> Median debt in collections: $2,353 — #308 out of 2,327 counties
Source: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons
2. La Salle County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 65.9%
> Median debt in collections: $1,972 — #820 out of 2,327 counties
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Source: BOB WESTON / iStock via Getty Images
1. Dimmit County, Texas
> Share with any debt in collections: 68.9%
> Median debt in collections: $2,821 — #88 out of 2,327 counties
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