About one in 11 people in Burnet County, Texas, lives below the poverty line
In Burnet County, 9.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Burnet County's score
In Burnet County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 44.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 36.8. About one in seven renters (13.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 75% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Burnet 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, Burnet County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (18.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 44.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.2% · 202416th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.0% · 202433rd percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance18.9% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,699 · 202422nd percentile
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- 39.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.8% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people81.5 · 202526th percentile
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- 37.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 36.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.3% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
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- 36.8 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 rent13.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202748th 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 Burnet 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 Burnet County, 23.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Burnet County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Burnet County fell most sharply on the way to its 1999 low, from 20.0% in 1994 to 16.8% in 1999.
In Burnet County, pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Burnet County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Burnet County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.0% in 2010 to 10.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Burnet County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 7.3%
Low on the chart: 6.0% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Burnet County, Texas.
How Burnet County has changed
Burnet County's population had its largest rise, from 25,226 in 1994 to 33,017 in 1999.
Burnet County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 55,722, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 43,853. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Burnet County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Burnet County had its largest rise in the last span, from 14,828 in 2020 to 17,073 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Burnet County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 17,073, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 13,221. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Burnet County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.1% | 2024 9.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,935 | 2024 $78,699 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Burnet County's history
1849
Fort Croghan established 1849 to protect frontier settlers. Wikipedia
1851
Mormon families under Lyman Wight established colony at Hamilton Creek 1851. Wikipedia
2007
A flash flood in June 2007 did $137 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in October 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in October 2018 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 49,130, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A flash flood in July 2025 did $6 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Burnet County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Burnet County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Burnet County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Burnet County ranks 5th of the eight; San Saba County is highest, at 34.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell County, TX | 78 | 13.8% | 24.0% |
| Lampasas County, TX | 52 | 11.1% | 29.1% |
| San Saba County, TX | 47 | 15.0% | 34.3% |
| Llano County, TX | 32 | 11.8% | 27.1% |
| Travis County, TX | 32 | 10.5% | 7.6% |
| Burnet County, TX | 30 | 9.2% | 19.9% |
| Williamson County, TX | 23 | 5.4% | 10.7% |
| Blanco County, TX | 16 | 8.0% | 19.2% |
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 Burnet County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Burnet County's poverty rate was 9.2% in 2024, 229th 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, Burnet County ranks 233rd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Burnet 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 Burnet 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 Burnet County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.