About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Brewster County, Texas, have a job
In Brewster County, 13.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Brewster County's score
In Brewster County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 58.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 11.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Brewster 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.
Even so, Brewster County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (15.4%, 2020 to 2024) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (31.2%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.1% · 202465th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance15.4% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,982 · 202457th percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.2% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people52.6 · 202510th percentile
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- 35.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.1% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 28.2 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 rent12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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- 11.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.4% · 2020 to 20249th 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 Brewster 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 Brewster County, 26.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Brewster County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Brewster County had its largest rise, from 14.8% in 2004 to 19.8% in 2009.
In Brewster County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Brewster County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Brewster County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.0% in 2016 to 15.4% in 2017.
The share of households in Brewster County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 6.8%
Low on the chart: 5.9% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Brewster County, Texas.
How Brewster County has changed
Brewster County's population rose by about a third to 9,508, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 8,698. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Brewster County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Brewster County had its largest drop, from 4,591 in 2010 to 3,693 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Brewster County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 4,529
High on the chart: 4,703 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Brewster County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.2% | 2024 15.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,053 | 2024 $63,982 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Brewster County's history
1920
Sul Ross State Normal College (now University) opened 1920. Wikipedia
1995
Hail in October 1995 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Lightning in February 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in September 2008 did $14 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 9,546, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1998
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Brewster County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Brewster County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Brewster County score higher than it does. Of the group, Brewster County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Terrell County gets the largest, at 26.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrell County, TX | 67 | 18.7% | 26.9% |
| Pecos County, TX | 65 | 17.3% | 24.4% |
| Jeff Davis County, TX | 63 | 12.8% | 25.2% |
| Presidio County, TX | 59 | 19.8% | 22.5% |
| Brewster County, TX | 25 | 15.1% | 20.6% |
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 Brewster County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Brewster County's poverty rate was 15.1% in 2024, 112th 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, Brewster County ranks 244th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Brewster 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 Brewster 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 Brewster County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.