About two in five people with a credit file in Anderson County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Anderson County, 40.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Anderson County's score
In Anderson County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 90.0. About three in ten renters (29.8%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 88.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Anderson 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.
Anderson County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (11.2%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (98.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent29.8% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.9% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 88.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.3% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.6% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.3% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
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- 82.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.0% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.5% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability19.4% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance18.5% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,927 · 202475th percentile
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- 65.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector40.1% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people98.7 · 202535th percentile
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- 35.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.2% · 2020 to 20244th 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 Anderson 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 Anderson County, 15.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Anderson County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Anderson County had its largest rise, from 17.5% in 1989 to 21.7% in 1994.
In Anderson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 28.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Anderson County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Anderson County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 18.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2021, reaching 16.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Anderson County, Texas.
How Anderson County has changed
Anderson County's population doubled to 59,512, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 45,215. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Anderson County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Anderson County rose by about half to 20,563, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 16,948. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Anderson County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.5% | 2024 20.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,991 | 2024 $57,927 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Anderson County's history
1846
Organized in 1846 with Palestine established as county seat. Wikipedia
1928
Oil discovered at Boggy Creek east of Palestine in 1928. Wikipedia
1987
A tornado in November 1987 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 58,458. The 2020 Census counted 57,922, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A flash flood in April 2016 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in April 2016 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in May 2023 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Anderson County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Anderson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Anderson County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Anderson County ranks 5th of the six; Houston County is highest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson County, TX | 90 | 15.9% | 30.4% |
| Anderson County, TX | 86 | 20.0% | 28.2% |
| Houston County, TX | 86 | 19.3% | 32.4% |
| Cherokee County, TX | 74 | 16.0% | 31.7% |
| Freestone County, TX | 64 | 12.7% | 28.1% |
| Leon County, TX | 57 | 14.2% | 29.0% |
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 Anderson County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Anderson County's poverty rate was 20.0% in 2024, 36th highest of 254 in Texas (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Starr County, at 35.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Anderson County ranks 31st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Anderson 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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Lone Star Legal Aid
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 Anderson 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 Anderson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.