Unemployment in Burleson County, Texas, is lower than in 63% of U.S. counties
In Burleson County, 3.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 63% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Burleson County's score
In Burleson County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 56.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 28.4. About one in eight renters (12.0%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Burleson 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, Burleson County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance12.6% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,451 · 202440th percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.7% · second quarter of 202668th percentile
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- 51.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.7% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 46.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.7% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people71.9 · 202520th percentile
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- 28.4 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 rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202737th 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 Burleson 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 Burleson County, 22.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Burleson County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Burleson County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 24.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Burleson County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Burleson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.7% in 2017 to 9.4% in 2018.
The share of households in Burleson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 9.0% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Burleson County, Texas.
How Burleson County has changed
Burleson County's population doubled to 20,179, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 14,709. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Burleson County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Burleson County had its largest rise in the last span, from 4,402 in 2020 to 5,127 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Burleson County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 5,127, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 3,278. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Burleson County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.7% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,266 | 2024 $70,451 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Burleson County's history
1846
Established in 1846. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 19,848. The 2020 Census counted 17,642, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
1987
A tornado in November 1987 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in June 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in October 1998 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A tornado in March 2000 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1987
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Burleson County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Burleson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Burleson County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Burleson County ranks 3rd of the six; Milam County is highest, at 30.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robertson County, TX | 78 | 15.7% | 26.4% |
| Milam County, TX | 61 | 13.8% | 30.8% |
| Brazos County, TX | 55 | 22.1% | 14.9% |
| Burleson County, TX | 46 | 13.7% | 24.3% |
| Lee County, TX | 42 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| Washington County, TX | 39 | 12.4% | 22.8% |
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 Burleson County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Burleson County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 154th 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, Burleson County ranks 196th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Burleson 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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Lone Star 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 Burleson 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 Burleson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.