About one in four people in Texas County, Missouri, has a disability
In Texas County, 25.0% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Texas County's score
In Texas County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 87.1. About one in four people (25.0%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 69.8.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Texas County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (82, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.3%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Texas County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 87.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.8% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability25.0% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,849 · 202491st percentile
- People below the poverty line19.3% · 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance13.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 69.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.2% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202657th percentile
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- 64.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.7% · Q4 202551st percentile
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- 55.7 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.2% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
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- 48.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.7% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people82 · 202526th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Texas County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Texas County
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Texas County in 2024, pay from work was 50 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 37 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 16 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Texas County, benefit checks rose from 16 to 37 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Texas County, Missouri: 36.5% and 50.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 36.5% of all personal income in Texas County, Missouri (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Texas County, 21.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Texas County has changed
The number of people living in Texas County grew by about 39% between 1969 and 2024, from 18,449 to 25,715. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.3% in 1990 to 4.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 18,449 | 2024 25,715 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 5,723 | 2024 5,867 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.6% | 2024 19.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $16,664 | 2024 $49,849 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.5% | 2024 36.5% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Texas County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 26,008. The 2020 Census counted 24,487, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
1820
Pioneers from Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Carolinas set up sawmills along Big Piney River, 1820s. Wikipedia
1845
February 14, 1845 (organized). Wikipedia
1954
Tornado: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Flash flood: $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Texas County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Texas County beside its neighbors
Texas County scores higher than all eight counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Texas County ranks 5th of the nine; Shannon County is highest, at 39.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas County, MO | 75 | 19.3% | 36.5% |
| Howell County, MO | 74 | 18.6% | 35.9% |
| Douglas County, MO | 73 | 17.8% | 38.6% |
| Shannon County, MO | 70 | 21.3% | 39.1% |
| Laclede County, MO | 68 | 14.9% | 30.9% |
| Wright County, MO | 68 | 19.0% | 37.4% |
| Dent County, MO | 61 | 14.4% | 38.8% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 52 | 14.7% | 24.5% |
| Phelps County, MO | 51 | 17.1% | 29.2% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Texas County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Texas County's poverty rate was 19.3% in 2024, 12th highest of 115 in Missouri (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Dunklin County, at 25.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Texas County ranks 17th of 115 in the state.
Texas County in photographs
Places in Texas County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The former Texas County, Missouri, courthouse, now the county administrative building.
Texas County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Texas County, Missouri?
19.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 23.8%.
Is Texas County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Texas County's poverty rate was 19.3% in 2024, 12th highest of 115 in Missouri (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Dunklin County, at 25.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Texas County ranks 17th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Texas County, Missouri?
About 25,715 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 24,487, 94% of the county's peak of 26,008 in 2010.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Texas County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Texas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.