About one in three people with a credit file in Bexar County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Bexar County, 34.7% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bexar County's score
In Bexar County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 82.1. About one in four renters (25.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 79.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bexar 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.
Bexar County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($72,578, 2024) and people with a disability (15.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.1 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 rent25.1% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.8% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
-
- 79.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.5% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
-
- 64.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.7% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people113.4 · 202542nd percentile
-
- 56.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance16.0% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,578 · 202434th percentile
-
- 55.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
-
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 Bexar 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 Bexar County, 12.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bexar County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bexar County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 18.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Bexar County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bexar County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.2% in 2011 to 13.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Bexar County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 13.8%
Low on the chart: 10.8% 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, Bexar County, Texas.
How Bexar County has changed
Bexar County's population had its largest rise, from 1,500,919 in 2004 to 1,685,628 in 2009.
Bexar County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 2,127,737, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 977,130. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bexar County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Bexar County had its largest rise in the last span, from 832,876 in 2020 to 937,109 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Bexar County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 937,109, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 832,876. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bexar County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.6% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,921 | 2024 $72,578 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Bexar County's history
1718
Mission San Antonio de Valero (Alamo) established by Spanish. Wikipedia
1718
Presidio San Antonio de Bexar established. Wikipedia
1731
Canary Islander colonists arrived March 9, 1731. Wikipedia
1998
A flash flood in October 1998 did $8 million in property damage and killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Hail in May 2001 did $120 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Hail in April 2016 did $1.36 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 2,009,324, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A flash flood in June 2025 did $23 million in property damage and killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1988
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bexar County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bexar County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Bexar County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bexar County ranks 6th of the eight; Bandera County is highest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atascosa County, TX | 82 | 15.9% | 25.7% |
| Bexar County, TX | 79 | 14.6% | 18.4% |
| Medina County, TX | 54 | 11.2% | 25.1% |
| Bandera County, TX | 49 | 11.0% | 27.7% |
| Wilson County, TX | 42 | 9.3% | 21.3% |
| Guadalupe County, TX | 41 | 7.9% | 19.5% |
| Comal County, TX | 26 | 6.9% | 17.2% |
| Kendall County, TX | 18 | 6.5% | 13.4% |
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 Bexar County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Bexar County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 129th 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, Bexar County ranks 66th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bexar 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.
-
City of San Antonio/dept of Neighborhood and Housing Services (DNHS)
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Greenpath Financial Wellness
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Neighborhood Housing Services of San Antonio
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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.
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 Bexar County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.