Bowie County, Texas

County Distress Index: Serious · 65.1 | 91,687 people · 78th most distressed in Texas
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Bowie County, TX shows significant household financial distress with a score of 65.1 — 494th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Texas, it ranks 78th of 254 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bowie County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 83.4 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 83.4
Debt in Collections 92
Medical Debt 89
Student Loan Delinquency 91
Auto Loan Delinquency 82
Credit Card Delinquency 84
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 62
Housing Cost Burden 72.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 79
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 60
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 61
Homeownership Rate 89
Rent-to-Income Ratio 73
Income & Poverty 63.1
Poverty Rate 60
Income vs. State Median 70
Child Poverty Rate 59
Community Vulnerability 59.7
Uninsured Rate 89
Disability Rate 30
Employment & Wages 46.9
Unemployment Rate 52
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 50
Business Formation Rate 38

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Bowie County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bowie County
Bowie County, TX 65.1 Serious —
Red River County, TX 73.5 Serious +8.5
Morris County, TX 70.3 Serious +5.3
Miller County, AR 70.2 Serious +5.1
McCurtain County, OK 69.6 Serious +4.6
Cass County, TX 66.8 Serious +1.8
Little River County, AR 58.3 Elevated -6.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bowie County
Gregg County, TX 65.1 Serious +0.0
Lauderdale County, MS 65.0 Serious -0.1
Valencia County, NM 64.9 Elevated -0.2
Pottawatomie County, OK 64.8 Elevated -0.3
Delaware County, IN 64.8 Elevated -0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Bowie County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Bowie County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-252-9690

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Bowie County residents at no cost.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid 1-888-988-9996
Lone Star Legal Aid 1-800-733-8394
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (888) 529-5277

Self-Help Resources

Texas State Law Library — Foreclosure Research Guide Comprehensive guide to Texas foreclosure law with links to statutes, forms, and practice guides.
TexasLawHelp.org Free legal information and self-help resources for low-income Texans.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Texas →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Bowie County, Texas?

    Bowie County has a County Distress Index score of 65.1 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 494th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 78th in Texas out of 254 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bowie County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bowie County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 83.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Bowie County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bowie County (65.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Red River County, TX (73.5); Morris County, TX (70.3); Miller County, AR (70.2).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Bowie County?

    Bowie County, Texas has a population of approximately 91,687 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.