In Bastrop County, Texas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Bastrop County, 25.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bastrop County's score
In Bastrop County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 66.6. People with a credit card behind: 7.0%, August 2025, higher than in 73% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 66.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bastrop 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.
Bastrop County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.0%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($84,174, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.8% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 66.1 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 rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.9% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 50.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.5% · August 202578th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.6 · 202523rd percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.2% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 36.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability12.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance21.8% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,174 · 202415th 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 Bastrop 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 Bastrop County, 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bastrop County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bastrop County had its largest rise, from 14.8% in 2004 to 19.7% in 2009.
In Bastrop County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 19.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Bastrop County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bastrop County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.3% in 2019 to 8.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Bastrop County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 7.5%
Low on the chart: 6.2% 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, Bastrop County, Texas.
How Bastrop County has changed
Bastrop County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 94,499 in 2019 to 114,931 in 2024.
Bastrop County's population grew to about seven times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 114,931, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 24,073. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bastrop County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Bastrop County had its largest rise in the last span, from 18,431 in 2020 to 23,427 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Bastrop County grew to about four times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 23,427, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 12,055. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bastrop County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.7% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,595 | 2024 $84,174 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Bastrop County's history
1837
Created by act signed by Sam Houston on December 18, 1837, changing its name from Mina. Wikipedia
1998
A flash flood in October 1998 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A flash flood in April 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A flash flood in November 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in October 2015 did $2.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 97,216, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1991
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bastrop County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bastrop County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bastrop County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bastrop County ranks 4th of the six; Caldwell County is highest, at 24.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell County, TX | 70 | 11.8% | 24.0% |
| Bastrop County, TX | 54 | 9.6% | 19.7% |
| Lee County, TX | 42 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| Travis County, TX | 32 | 10.5% | 7.6% |
| Fayette County, TX | 32 | 10.2% | 23.0% |
| Williamson County, TX | 23 | 5.4% | 10.7% |
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 Bastrop County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Bastrop County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 226th 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, Bastrop County ranks 164th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bastrop 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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Texas RioGrande 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 Bastrop 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 Bastrop County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.