The 25 U.S. Counties With the Worst Mortgage Delinquency Rates in 2026
Clayton County, Georgia leads at 3.6% of mortgages 90 or more days delinquent, followed by Newton County at 3.0% and Livingston Parish, Louisiana at 2.9%, versus a 0.9% national rate. The fastest-moving counties tell a different story: Newton County rose 1.7 points year over year, while Polk County, FL and Clark County, IN each rose 1.4 points. Sourced directly from the CFPB National Mortgage Database, county level, current through December 2025 (the most recent month published as of October 2026).
Highest current delinquency rate
| County | State | A year ago | Current (90+ days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton County | Georgia | 2.3% | 3.6% |
| Newton County | Georgia | 1.3% | 3% |
| Livingston Parish | Louisiana | 2.2% | 2.9% |
| Caddo Parish | Louisiana | 1.6% | 2.6% |
| Orleans Parish | Louisiana | 1.9% | 2.6% |
| Webb County | Texas | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Henry County | Georgia | 1.4% | 2.4% |
| Baltimore city | Maryland | 2.1% | 2.4% |
| Ector County | Texas | 1.5% | 2.3% |
| Jackson County | Mississippi | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| East Baton Rouge Parish | Louisiana | 1.8% | 2.3% |
| Polk County | Florida | 0.8% | 2.2% |
| Hampton city | Virginia | 1.2% | 2.2% |
| St. Tammany Parish | Louisiana | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| Clark County | Indiana | 0.7% | 2.1% |
| Berkeley County | South Carolina | 1.2% | 2.1% |
| Kanawha County | West Virginia | 1.4% | 2.1% |
| Hinds County | Mississippi | 1.8% | 2.1% |
| Jefferson County | Texas | 2.1% | 2.1% |
| Jefferson Parish | Louisiana | 1.1% | 2% |
| Pueblo County | Colorado | 1.2% | 2% |
| Tuscaloosa County | Alabama | 1.3% | 2% |
| Ascension Parish | Louisiana | 1.4% | 2% |
| Johnson County | Texas | 1.2% | 1.9% |
| Kaufman County | Texas | 1.4% | 1.9% |
Fastest-rising delinquency, year over year
These counties may not have the highest absolute rate, but posted the largest single-year increase — the early-warning list, not the current-worst list.
| County | State | A year ago | Current | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton County | Georgia | 1.3% | 3% | +1.7 pts |
| Polk County | Florida | 0.8% | 2.2% | +1.4 pts |
| Clark County | Indiana | 0.7% | 2.1% | +1.4 pts |
| Clayton County | Georgia | 2.3% | 3.6% | +1.3 pts |
| Rockwall County | Texas | 0.7% | 1.8% | +1.1 pts |
| Lake County | Florida | 0.5% | 1.6% | +1.1 pts |
| Sullivan County | Tennessee | 0.3% | 1.4% | +1.1 pts |
| Caddo Parish | Louisiana | 1.6% | 2.6% | +1 pts |
| Henry County | Georgia | 1.4% | 2.4% | +1 pts |
| Hampton city | Virginia | 1.2% | 2.2% | +1 pts |
| St. Lucie County | Florida | 0.8% | 1.8% | +1 pts |
| Marion County | Florida | 0.7% | 1.7% | +1 pts |
| Volusia County | Florida | 0.7% | 1.7% | +1 pts |
| Duval County | Florida | 0.5% | 1.5% | +1 pts |
| Citrus County | Florida | 0.4% | 1.4% | +1 pts |
| Osceola County | Florida | 0.4% | 1.4% | +1 pts |
| Berkeley County | South Carolina | 1.2% | 2.1% | +0.9 pts |
| Jefferson Parish | Louisiana | 1.1% | 2% | +0.9 pts |
| Hernando County | Florida | 0.9% | 1.8% | +0.9 pts |
| Richland County | South Carolina | 0.7% | 1.6% | +0.9 pts |
| Grayson County | Texas | 0.7% | 1.6% | +0.9 pts |
| Columbia County | Georgia | 0.1% | 1% | +0.9 pts |
| Ector County | Texas | 1.5% | 2.3% | +0.8 pts |
| Pueblo County | Colorado | 1.2% | 2% | +0.8 pts |
| Catawba County | North Carolina | 0.9% | 1.7% | +0.8 pts |
Falling behind on a mortgage payment doesn't move as fast as credit card or personal-loan default — but once a servicer starts foreclosure, deadlines get firm quickly. If a debt collector or servicer is already contacting you, see what to do the first time a collector contacts you and how a debt validation request works before anything moves to court.
Methodology
Source: CFPB National Mortgage Database, "Mortgages 90 or more days delinquent," county level, monthly, most recent published month December 2025. Figures are unmodified CFPB numbers — current month and the same month one year prior, with no extrapolation applied.
Why no county-level projection: our state-level outlook extrapolates a trend line from 24 months of state data. A single county's monthly series is thinner and noisier — a small number of loans can swing the percentage sharply — so a same-length regression at the county level would produce a less reliable slope than the state aggregate. We show only real, published current-vs-year-ago figures here for that reason.
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Which county has the worst mortgage delinquency rate?
Clayton County, Georgia, leads at 3.6% of mortgages 90 or more days delinquent, followed by Newton County at 3.0% and Livingston Parish at 2.9%, versus a 0.9% national rate.
— US Debt Compass Editorial Team
Which counties are getting worse the fastest?
Newton County, GA rose 1.7 percentage points year over year, followed by Polk County, FL and Clark County, IN at 1.4 points — the early-warning list, distinct from the counties with the highest current rate.
— US Debt Compass Editorial Team
Is this current data or a projection?
Unmodified CFPB National Mortgage Database figures — current and a-year-ago rates only, no extrapolation. See our companion state-level 2026 outlook for a page that does project a trend.
— US Debt Compass Editorial Team