About one in four people in Cotton County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Cotton County, 25.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cotton County's score
In Cotton County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 87.5. About two in five people with a credit file (41.6%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 77.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cotton County: 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.
Cotton County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.0%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.7%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.6% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people221.1 · 202579th percentile
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- 77.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.1% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.0% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability25.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance8.7% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$53,567 · 202485th percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.3% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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- 62.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202637th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.9% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 33.6 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 rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202748th 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 Cotton County 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 Cotton County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cotton County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cotton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Cotton County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cotton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.2% in 2019 to 21.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Cotton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 11.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cotton County, Oklahoma.
How Cotton County has changed
Cotton County's population had its largest drop, from 7,297 in 1984 to 6,731 in 1989.
Cotton County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 7,297 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cotton County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Cotton County had its largest rise in the last span, from 1,552 in 2020 to 1,962 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Cotton County doubled to 1,962, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 1,962 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cotton County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.8% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.2% | 2024 17.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,161 | 2024 $53,567 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cotton County's history
1912
Cotton County was formed in 1912, becoming the last county created in Oklahoma, and was split from Comanche County. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 16,679. The 2020 Census counted 5,527, 33% of the peak. Census Bureau
1954
A tornado in May 1954 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1957
A tornado in May 1957 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cotton County, 21 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cotton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cotton County, in Oklahoma and Texas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cotton County ranks 4th of the seven; Jefferson County is highest, at 40.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tillman County, OK | 93 | 22.2% | 37.8% |
| Comanche County, OK | 83 | 16.9% | 27.8% |
| Stephens County, OK | 76 | 16.1% | 30.3% |
| Cotton County, OK | 76 | 17.1% | 29.4% |
| Jefferson County, OK | 75 | 19.0% | 40.9% |
| Wichita County, TX | 73 | 14.4% | 26.9% |
| Clay County, TX | 45 | 11.0% | 25.2% |
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 Cotton County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Cotton County's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 37th highest of 77 in Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Choctaw County, at 26.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Cotton County ranks 33rd of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cotton County
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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Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
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 Cotton County · 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 Cotton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.