The Debtor Protection Index

Methodology

This index is an original dataset, computed at build time from two of our own 50-state pages. We score these four rules because each is covered for every state and each decides a real question: how much of your pay is safe, and how long a collector can chase you. Every input is a real statutory figure. The point weights are our editorial model, and we publish them here so you can judge them.

Each state earns points on four factors, for a raw total out of 12, then normalized to a 0 to 100 score.

Wage garnishment, up to 4 points. A state that bars a private creditor from garnishing wages for ordinary debt earns 4, as does a cap of 10 percent of disposable pay or less. A cap up to 15 percent earns 3, up to 20 percent earns 2, and the federal 25 percent limit earns 1.

Written-contract debt limitations, up to 3 points. A shorter statute of limitations protects the debtor, because the creditor loses the right to sue sooner. Three years or less earns 3, four years earns 2, up to six years earns 1, and longer earns 0. The same scale applies to the third factor, the open-account limitations period that governs most credit-card debt, also up to 3 points.

Oral debt limitations, up to 2 points. Two years or less earns 2, up to four years earns 1, and longer earns 0.

A higher score means the law leans further toward the debtor on these four rules. It is not a measure of a state overall, and it does not cover every protection. A short statute of limitations does not erase a debt: it is a defense you must raise, and a payment or written promise can restart the clock in many states. We publish the whole table and link every state to its full guides, each cited to the statute, so you can check our work.