About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Bailey County, Texas, are not working
In Bailey County, 29.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bailey County's score
In Bailey County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 70.6. About three in ten people (28.6%, 2020 to 2024) have no health insurance, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 70.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bailey 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.
Bailey County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (2.1%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (5.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.6% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.1% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance28.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,259 · 202467th percentile
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- 70.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.1% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 57.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.1% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.5% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
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- 53.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.9% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89.9 · 202531st percentile
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- 23.0 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 rent5.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st 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 Bailey 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 Bailey County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bailey County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bailey County had its largest drop, from 23.9% in 2009 to 19.1% in 2014.
In Bailey County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Bailey County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bailey County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 9.8% in 2023 to 17.9% in 2024.
The share of households in Bailey County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2022, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 8.0% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bailey County, Texas.
How Bailey County has changed
Bailey County's population had its largest drop, from 7,899 in 1984 to 7,258 in 1989.
Bailey County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 7,031
High on the chart: 8,781 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bailey County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Bailey County rose most sharply from its first year (2,146 in 1990) to 2,336 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Bailey County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 2,624 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bailey County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.8% | 2024 15.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,613 | 2024 $61,259 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bailey County's history
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 9,090. The 2020 Census counted 6,904, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1970
Muleshoe population peaked at over 5,000 in 1970. Wikipedia
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Since 1992
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bailey County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bailey County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bailey County, in Texas and New Mexico, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bailey County ranks 5th of the six; Roosevelt County is highest, at 28.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cochran County, TX | 79 | 20.8% | 27.4% |
| Curry County, NM | 78 | 16.8% | 25.4% |
| Roosevelt County, NM | 77 | 20.1% | 28.1% |
| Lamb County, TX | 64 | 17.2% | 23.0% |
| Bailey County, TX | 57 | 15.6% | 20.5% |
| Parmer County, TX | 40 | 12.7% | 12.9% |
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 Bailey County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Bailey County's poverty rate was 15.6% in 2024, 103rd 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, Bailey County ranks 154th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bailey 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 Bailey 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 Bailey County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.