In Brooks County, Texas, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 47 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (46.9%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Brooks County's score
In Brooks County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 94.0. About two in five children (44.7%, 2024) live below the poverty line, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.8.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Brooks County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (43.8, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.0%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Brooks County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 94.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line44.7% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability22.4% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$39,409 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line30.6% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance21.4% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 89.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.9% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.1% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 79.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working38.1% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202663rd percentile
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- 61.0 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.9% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.0% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector53.2% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43.8 · 20257th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Brooks County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Brooks County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Brooks County in 2024, pay from work was 43 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 10 cents. Benefit checks were 47 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 70 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 15 cents.
In Brooks County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2020
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Brooks County, Texas: 46.9% and 42.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 46.9% of all personal income in Brooks County, Texas (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Brooks County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Brooks County has changed
The number of people living in Brooks County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 8,015 to 6,740. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.9% in 1990 to 4.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,015 | 2024 6,740 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,020 | 2024 2,195 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 40.3% | 2024 30.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $14,212 | 2024 $39,409 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.0% | 2024 46.9% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Brooks County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 9,195. The 2020 Census counted 7,076, 77% of the peak. Census Bureau
1904
Falfurrias founded by Edward Cunningham Lasater, Rio Grande Valley rancher and developer. Wikipedia
1911
Brooks County was created in 1911. Wikipedia
2004
Hail: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Hail: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Hail: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Brooks County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Brooks County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Brooks County, five score higher. Of the group, Brooks County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (46.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starr County, TX | 97 | 35.4% | 44.1% |
| Jim Wells County, TX | 95 | 22.8% | 36.3% |
| Kenedy County, TX | 94 | 15.5% | 18.3% |
| Duval County, TX | 92 | 24.8% | 45.8% |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 92 | 24.2% | 31.6% |
| Brooks County, TX | 90 | 30.6% | 46.9% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 89 | 21.4% | 28.0% |
| Jim Hogg County, TX | 87 | 22.1% | 39.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Brooks County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Brooks County's poverty rate was 30.6% in 2024, 3rd 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, Brooks County ranks 17th of 254 in the state.
Brooks County in photographs
Places in Brooks County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Brooks County Courthouse in Falfurrias, Texas.
The 1936 Texas Centennial county highway marker for Brooks County.
Brooks County, Texas: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Brooks County, Texas?
30.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 44.7%.
Is Brooks County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Brooks County's poverty rate was 30.6% in 2024, 3rd 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, Brooks County ranks 17th of 254 in the state.
What is the population of Brooks County, Texas?
About 6,740 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 7,076, 77% of the county's peak of 9,195 in 1950.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Brooks County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Lone Star Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Brooks County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Brooks County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.