LeadCounty Distress Index: which US counties have the most distressed property
The LeadCounty Distress Index scores 71 US counties from 0 to 100 using official records on tax delinquency, foreclosure, code cases and inheritance deeds. Clark County (Springfield), OH ranks first with 90. Across the 99 counties we track, 3.0% of properties have unpaid tax. Counts only, refreshed weekly.
Summary in plain English
- About 3.0% of the 35,648,285 properties in the 99 counties we track have unpaid property tax, and 25.3% are owned by someone whose mailing address is somewhere else.
- The highest tax-delinquent share is in Philadelphia County, PA: 13.4% of its properties.
- The highest overall score is Clark County (Springfield), OH with 90. The top state is Oklahoma (86).
- About 23.6% of properties have been held 15 years or more, which usually means equity and little pressure to sell unless something changes.
Counties ranked by Distress Index
| # | County | Index | Tax delinquent | Foreclosure | Code cases | Inherited (12 mo) | Absentee | Owned 15+ yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clark County (Springfield), OH | 90 | 7.0% | n/a | n/a | 0.8% | 27.8% | 14.4% |
| 2 | Hillsborough County (Tampa), FL | 86 | 4.8% | 0.7% | n/a | n/a | 25.6% | 22.6% |
| 3 | Oklahoma County (Oklahoma City), OK | 86 | 5.6% | 0.5% | n/a | n/a | 35.3% | 24.3% |
| 4 | Summit County (Akron), OH | 86 | 8.3% | <0.1% | 2.2% | n/a | 25.3% | 30.9% |
| 5 | Richland County (Mansfield), OH | 86 | 8.1% | <0.1% | n/a | 0.7% | 29.4% | 30.6% |
| 6 | Duval County (Jacksonville), FL | 82 | 6.6% | 0.4% | n/a | n/a | 29.3% | 24.8% |
| 7 | Mahoning County (Youngstown), OH | 81 | 10.8% | <0.1% | 1.0% | n/a | 29.5% | 34.9% |
| 8 | Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), OH | 78 | 3.8% | 0.9% | 1.6% | n/a | 24.3% | 30.7% |
| 9 | Lorain County, OH | 78 | 4.1% | 0.3% | n/a | 0.8% | 20.6% | 15.8% |
| 10 | Harris County (Houston), TX | 75 | 5.7% | 0.3% | 1.9% | n/a | 26.8% | 34.2% |
| 11 | Greene County, OH | 75 | 1.7% | 0.4% | n/a | 0.9% | 22.7% | 31.4% |
| 12 | Medina County, OH | 73 | 3.9% | 0.2% | n/a | 0.8% | 9.6% | 29.8% |
| 13 | St. Louis County, MO | 70 | 1.4% | 1.4% | n/a | n/a | 23.0% | 26.7% |
| 14 | Macomb County (Warren), MI | 70 | 1.6% | 0.9% | n/a | n/a | 14.4% | 34.0% |
| 15 | Monmouth County, NJ | 70 | 3.1% | 0.4% | n/a | n/a | 19.4% | 20.2% |
| 16 | Marion County (Indianapolis), IN | 68 | 2.3% | 0.4% | n/a | <0.1% | 28.9% | 4.4% |
| 17 | Hamilton County (Cincinnati), OH | 66 | 6.1% | 0.3% | n/a | 0.3% | 21.2% | 31.6% |
| 18 | Jackson County (Kansas City), MO | 66 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 3.3% | 0.6% | 32.3% | n/a |
| 19 | DeKalb County, GA | 66 | 5.0% | 0.2% | n/a | n/a | 25.7% | 35.0% |
| 20 | Fairfield County, OH | 66 | 3.5% | n/a | n/a | 0.6% | 23.5% | 30.1% |
| 21 | Franklin County, OH | 65 | 8.3% | 0.2% | n/a | 0.4% | 27.5% | 29.0% |
| 22 | Warren County, OH | 65 | 3.3% | <0.1% | n/a | 0.6% | 17.5% | 29.1% |
| 23 | Montgomery County (Dayton), OH | 64 | 8.7% | 0.4% | n/a | 0.1% | 27.7% | 20.8% |
| 24 | Lucas County (Toledo), OH | 64 | 13.3% | n/a | 0.3% | 0.6% | 29.3% | 28.7% |
| 25 | Stark County (Canton), OH | 64 | 8.1% | 0.1% | n/a | 0.7% | 27.2% | 3.4% |
| 26 | Cook County (Chicago), IL | 63 | 3.8% | 0.1% | 4.9% | n/a | 23.2% | 17.1% |
| 27 | Milwaukee County, WI | 63 | 3.5% | 0.1% | 13.5% | <0.1% | 25.8% | 16.1% |
| 28 | Wayne County (Detroit), MI | 62 | 5.3% | 2.1% | 0.1% | n/a | 20.9% | 0.5% |
| 29 | Prince George's County, MD | 62 | 1.3% | 0.5% | n/a | n/a | 16.4% | 42.2% |
| 30 | Delaware County, OH | 62 | 3.6% | n/a | n/a | 0.5% | 7.8% | 29.0% |
| 31 | Philadelphia County, PA | 61 | 13.4% | 0.1% | n/a | n/a | 33.2% | 30.8% |
| 32 | Butler County, OH | 61 | 5.9% | n/a | 0.2% | 0.7% | 22.1% | 31.4% |
| 33 | Clermont County, OH | 61 | 1.4% | <0.1% | n/a | 0.7% | 18.8% | 31.0% |
| 34 | Guilford County (Greensboro), NC | 59 | 1.4% | 0.4% | n/a | <0.1% | 31.5% | 35.1% |
| 35 | Baltimore County, MD | 56 | 0.7% | <0.1% | 2.7% | n/a | 15.7% | 40.8% |
| 36 | Union County (Elizabeth), NJ | 52 | 1.4% | 0.3% | n/a | n/a | 22.0% | 16.0% |
| 37 | Orange County (Orlando), FL | 50 | 4.2% | 0.1% | n/a | n/a | 29.7% | 34.8% |
| 38 | El Paso County, TX | 50 | 1.2% | <0.1% | n/a | 0.6% | 16.6% | 37.6% |
| 39 | Dallas County, TX | 49 | 4.2% | 0.2% | n/a | 0.1% | 31.2% | 30.6% |
| 40 | Utah County (Provo), UT | 48 | 1.1% | 0.3% | n/a | <0.1% | 9.1% | 1.5% |
| 41 | Licking County, OH | 48 | 2.8% | 0.3% | n/a | 0.1% | 18.2% | 20.8% |
| 42 | Clark County (Las Vegas), NV | 46 | 1.4% | 0.2% | n/a | n/a | 35.3% | 24.6% |
| 43 | Pima County (Tucson), AZ | 46 | 1.2% | 0.2% | 0.8% | n/a | 25.2% | 34.7% |
| 44 | Brevard County, FL | 46 | 0.1% | 0.5% | n/a | n/a | 29.4% | n/a |
| 45 | Essex County (Newark), NJ | 46 | 3.8% | 0.1% | n/a | n/a | 30.0% | 30.7% |
| 46 | Union County, OH | 46 | 3.9% | <0.1% | n/a | 0.1% | 17.2% | 22.7% |
| 47 | Delaware County (Media), PA | 44 | 3.5% | 0.1% | n/a | n/a | 19.6% | 41.2% |
| 48 | Tarrant County (Fort Worth), TX | 42 | 1.6% | 0.1% | 0.9% | <0.1% | 24.7% | 29.9% |
| 49 | Palm Beach County, FL | 41 | 2.5% | 0.1% | n/a | <0.1% | 29.5% | 20.9% |
| 50 | Lee County (Fort Myers), FL | 40 | 1.9% | 0.1% | 0.7% | n/a | 48.8% | 19.5% |
| 51 | Maricopa County (Phoenix), AZ | 38 | 2.2% | 0.1% | n/a | n/a | 26.1% | 9.2% |
| 52 | Miami-Dade County, FL | 37 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2.6% | n/a | 32.2% | 27.0% |
| 53 | Hudson County (Jersey City), NJ | 37 | 0.4% | 0.4% | n/a | 0.1% | 31.9% | 7.7% |
| 54 | Hidalgo County (McAllen), TX | 36 | 0.9% | <0.1% | <0.1% | 0.2% | 30.8% | 30.2% |
| 55 | Denver County, CO | 36 | 2.1% | <0.1% | n/a | 0.1% | 24.2% | n/a |
| 56 | Portage County, OH | 36 | 1.9% | 0.1% | <0.1% | n/a | 24.0% | 33.2% |
| 57 | Travis County (Austin), TX | 32 | 2.3% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 28.8% | 26.8% |
| 58 | Mecklenburg County (Charlotte), NC | 32 | 1.4% | 0.1% | n/a | <0.1% | 28.0% | 28.4% |
| 59 | El Paso County (Colorado Springs), CO | 32 | 0.7% | <0.1% | 0.4% | n/a | 23.1% | 18.2% |
| 60 | Middlesex County (New Brunswick), NJ | 26 | 0.9% | 0.1% | n/a | n/a | 18.2% | 8.3% |
| 61 | Collin County (Plano), TX | 24 | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 20.1% | 16.4% |
| 62 | Cobb County, GA | 24 | 0.9% | n/a | n/a | 0.1% | 22.7% | 20.0% |
| 63 | Hennepin County (Minneapolis), MN | 20 | 0.6% | 0.1% | n/a | n/a | 14.5% | 32.8% |
| 64 | Denton County, TX | 18 | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 19.2% | 19.6% |
| 65 | Jefferson County (Lakewood), CO | 18 | 0.3% | 0.1% | n/a | n/a | 19.2% | 30.9% |
| 66 | Polk County (Lakeland), FL | 17 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | n/a | 30.9% | 22.0% |
| 67 | Bergen County, NJ | 15 | 0.2% | <0.1% | n/a | 0.1% | 16.5% | 26.5% |
| 68 | Fulton County (Atlanta), GA | 13 | 0.1% | 0.1% | n/a | <0.1% | 25.9% | 26.0% |
| 69 | Arapahoe County (Aurora), CO | 12 | 0.1% | <0.1% | n/a | 0.1% | 20.1% | 22.7% |
| 70 | Montgomery County, MD | 8 | 0.2% | <0.1% | 0.1% | n/a | 13.4% | 36.7% |
| 71 | Salt Lake County, UT | 5 | 0.1% | <0.1% | 0.1% | n/a | 13.9% | 0.1% |
n/a means the county's offices do not publish that record. Click a county for its full report.
Download these numbers as a free CSV Counts and shares only, no owner information. Free to use with a link to this page.
States ranked by Distress Index
| Rank | State | Index | Counties | Tax delinquent | Foreclosure | Code cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | 86 | 2 | 5.6% | 0.4% | n/a |
| 2 | Ohio | 69 | 25 | 6.2% | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| 3 | Missouri | 68 | 2 | 1.0% | 1.0% | 3.3% |
| 4 | Indiana | 68 | 1 | 2.3% | 0.4% | n/a |
| 5 | Michigan | 64 | 4 | 4.2% | 1.3% | 0.1% |
| 6 | Illinois | 63 | 2 | 3.2% | 0.1% | 4.9% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 63 | 2 | 2.0% | 0.1% | 13.5% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 57 | 4 | 7.3% | 0.1% | n/a |
| 9 | Texas | 49 | 11 | 2.6% | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| 10 | Florida | 49 | 12 | 2.4% | 0.2% | 1.3% |
| 11 | Nevada | 46 | 1 | 1.4% | 0.2% | n/a |
| 12 | North Carolina | 41 | 3 | 1.0% | 0.2% | n/a |
| 13 | Arizona | 40 | 2 | 2.0% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
| 14 | New Jersey | 40 | 6 | 1.6% | 0.3% | n/a |
| 15 | Maryland | 40 | 3 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| 16 | Georgia | 31 | 4 | 1.6% | 0.2% | n/a |
| 17 | Colorado | 25 | 4 | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| 18 | Utah | 22 | 2 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 20 | 1 | 0.6% | 0.1% | n/a |
Counties without an index
These counties do not publish enough records for a fair score. Their tax-delinquent share is shown where we have it.
How the Distress Index is built
For each county we take four distress measures from its official records: the share of properties that are tax delinquent, in foreclosure, have an open code case, or received an inheritance deed in the last 12 months. Each measure is turned into a percentile among the counties that publish it (0 is the lowest share, 100 the highest). The index is the average of the percentiles a county has.
- A county is scored only if the tax-delinquent measure and at least one more are available. A record a county's offices do not publish is left out, never counted as zero.
- Shares use all properties in the county file as the base. Absentee owners, long-held properties and sales are shown for context and are not part of the index.
- Sales are shown only where a county publishes sale dates and prices. Counties that do not (for example Texas) show n/a.
- A state's index is the average of its scored counties, weighted by number of properties.
- The index compares the counties LeadCounty covers. It is not a national ranking and not investment advice.
Edition 1. Counts come from official county records and are refreshed weekly. Full method: methodology, editorial standards, data sources.
Questions
What is the LeadCounty Distress Index?
A 0 to 100 score for each county we cover, built from official records: the share of properties that are tax delinquent, in foreclosure, have an open code case or got an inheritance deed in the last 12 months. A higher score means a larger share of distressed property compared with the other counties we cover.
Where do the numbers come from?
From the county auditor, assessor, treasurer, recorder, court and city code offices. The offices behind every county are listed on the data sources page. We join the records parcel by parcel every week.
Does a high score mean a county is a good place to invest?
No. It shows where more owners are under pressure, which can mean more chances to buy at a fair price and also more risk. Check values, repair costs and local rules before you act.
Why are some counties not scored?
A county needs the tax-delinquent measure and at least one more measure. If its offices do not publish enough records, we show the numbers we have and leave the score out instead of guessing.
Can I use these numbers in an article?
Yes. Please link to this page and say the source is LeadCounty. The free CSV has the summary numbers for every county.
How we make these guides
Written by the LeadCounty editorial and data team from official county, court and state sources and our own weekly counts. We name the office behind every number, say what we cannot see, and fix mistakes when you tell us. See our editorial standards and methodology. General information, not legal or financial advice. Refreshed weekly.
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