About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Armstrong County, Texas, have a job
In Armstrong County, 9.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Armstrong County's score
In Armstrong County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 58.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 9.4. Almost no renters (0.0%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Armstrong 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.
Armstrong County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.6% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 23.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.0% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people54.6 · 202511th percentile
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- 22.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.1% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability11.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance4.2% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,908 · 202423rd percentile
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- 13.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202621st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
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- 9.4 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 rent0.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202713th 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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong County, 25.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Armstrong County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Armstrong County had its largest rise, from 16.2% in 2004 to 23.0% in 2009.
In Armstrong County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 27.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Armstrong County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Armstrong County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2021 low, from 1.6% in 2021 to 3.0% in 2022.
The share of households in Armstrong County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen to 3.4%
Low on the chart: 1.6% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Armstrong County, Texas.
How Armstrong County has changed
Armstrong County's population rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 1,744 in 1974 to 1,915 in 1979.
Armstrong County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 2,116 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Armstrong County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Armstrong County doubled to 733, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 733 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Armstrong County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.7% | 2024 10.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,869 | 2024 $77,908 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Armstrong County's history
1876
Formed in 1876 and later organized in 1890. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 3,329. The 2020 Census counted 1,848, 56% of the peak. Census Bureau
2022
Armstrong County Jail closed in April 2022. Wikipedia
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Since 1998
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Armstrong County. FEMA
Armstrong County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Armstrong County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Armstrong County ranks 3rd of the six; Donley County is highest, at 33.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swisher County, TX | 83 | 23.2% | 17.2% |
| Donley County, TX | 68 | 17.2% | 33.5% |
| Briscoe County, TX | 55 | 14.7% | 27.6% |
| Randall County, TX | 28 | 10.4% | 15.5% |
| Carson County, TX | 28 | 9.5% | 21.9% |
| Armstrong County, TX | 10 | 10.1% | 27.0% |
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 Armstrong County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Armstrong County's poverty rate was 10.1% in 2024, 223rd 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, Armstrong County ranks 254th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Armstrong 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 of NorthWest Texas
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 Armstrong 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 Armstrong County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.