About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, is not working
In Sabine Parish, 33.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sabine Parish's score
In Sabine Parish, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 85.4. Income and the safety net comes next, at 79.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sabine Parish: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Sabine Parish does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.3%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.8%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.0% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
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- 79.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.0% · 202489th percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.2% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability22.4% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,066 · 202484th percentile
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- 78.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.9% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
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- 77.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.6% · August 202578th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people210 · 202577th percentile
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- 39.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Sabine Parish comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Sabine Parish, 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sabine Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sabine Parish had its largest rise, from 27.5% in 2014 to 32.9% in 2019.
In Sabine Parish, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 34.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Sabine Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sabine Parish getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 19.7% in 2020 to 21.3% in 2021; 20.4% in 2023 to 22.0% in 2024.
The share of households in Sabine Parish getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2015, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 17.8% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sabine Parish, Louisiana.
How Sabine Parish has changed
Sabine Parish's population had its largest rise, from 21,515 in 1974 to 25,014 in 1979.
Sabine Parish's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 25,539 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sabine Parish, Louisiana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sabine Parish rose 8% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 5,749 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sabine Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.0% | 2024 21.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,068 | 2024 $54,066 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Sabine Parish's history
1843
Sabine Parish was created on March 7, 1843, from Natchitoches Parish, during the administration of Governor Alexander Mouton. It was one of five parishes created in as many weeks by the state legislature. Wikipedia
1950
A tornado in February 1950 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1974
A tornado in March 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 25,280. The 2020 Census counted 22,155, 88% of the peak. Census Bureau
1993
A thunderstorm in April 1993 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in May 2024 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sabine Parish, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sabine Parish beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Sabine Parish, in Louisiana and Texas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sabine Parish ranks 2nd of the seven; Sabine County is highest, at 47.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natchitoches Parish, LA | 97 | 26.9% | 29.9% |
| De Soto Parish, LA | 87 | 17.0% | 27.9% |
| Sabine Parish, LA | 86 | 21.0% | 34.8% |
| Shelby County, TX | 83 | 16.2% | 23.9% |
| Vernon Parish, LA | 82 | 15.7% | 27.3% |
| Newton County, TX | 81 | 17.5% | 34.6% |
| Sabine County, TX | 67 | 15.9% | 47.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Sabine Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Sabine Parish's poverty rate was 21.0% in 2024, 30th highest of 64 in Louisiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is East Carroll Parish, at 44.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Sabine Parish ranks 35th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sabine Parish
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Acadiana Legal Service Corporation
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Sabine Parish · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Sabine Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.