About one in five people in Briscoe County, Texas, has a disability
In Briscoe County, 20.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 81% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Briscoe County's score
In Briscoe County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 76.5. About one in five people (19.8%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 67.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Briscoe 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.
Briscoe County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.5%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.2% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance19.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,395 · 202466th percentile
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- 67.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.5% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 55.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202524th percentile
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- 34.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.3% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
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- 33.8 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 rent10.5% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th 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 Briscoe 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 Briscoe County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Briscoe County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Briscoe County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Briscoe County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Briscoe County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.6% in 2021 to 4.8% in 2022.
The share of households in Briscoe County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.0% 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, Briscoe County, Texas.
How Briscoe County has changed
Briscoe County's population had its largest drop, from 2,847 in 1969 to 2,560 in 1974.
Briscoe County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,494
High on the chart: 2,847 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Briscoe County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Briscoe County had its largest drop, from 505 in 2000 to 389 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Briscoe County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 505 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Briscoe County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.3% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.6% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,161 | 2024 $61,395 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Briscoe County's history
1876
Created in 1876; organized in 1892. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 5,590. The 2020 Census counted 1,435, 26% of the peak. Census Bureau
1957
A tornado in May 1957 killed 21 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
A tornado in April 1970 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1975
A tornado in June 1975 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Briscoe County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Briscoe County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Briscoe County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Briscoe County ranks 5th of the seven; Hall County is highest, at 40.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swisher County, TX | 83 | 23.2% | 17.2% |
| Floyd County, TX | 77 | 17.3% | 35.8% |
| Motley County, TX | 76 | 19.4% | 36.3% |
| Donley County, TX | 68 | 17.2% | 33.5% |
| Hall County, TX | 66 | 22.1% | 40.4% |
| Briscoe County, TX | 55 | 14.7% | 27.6% |
| Armstrong County, TX | 10 | 10.1% | 27.0% |
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 Briscoe County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Briscoe County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 127th 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, Briscoe County ranks 161st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Briscoe 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 Briscoe 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 Briscoe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.