In Caldwell County, Texas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Caldwell County, 30.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Caldwell County's score
In Caldwell County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 84.3. People with a credit card behind: 8.5%, August 2025, higher than in 87% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 70.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Caldwell 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.
Caldwell County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (56.2, 2025) and people with a disability (14.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.5% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.0% · second quarter of 202682nd percentile
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- 70.2 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 rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.7% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.9% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance21.4% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,980 · 202438th percentile
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- 51.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.2% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people56.2 · 202512th 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 year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.1% · 2020 to 202458th 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell County, 15.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Caldwell County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Caldwell County had its largest rise, from 19.8% in 2004 to 24.9% in 2009.
In Caldwell County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 24.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Caldwell County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Caldwell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.9% in 2017 to 12.3% in 2018.
The share of households in Caldwell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 11.4%
Low on the chart: 8.5% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Caldwell County, Texas.
How Caldwell County has changed
Caldwell County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 45,385 in 2019 to 52,430 in 2024.
Caldwell County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 52,430, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 27,567. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Caldwell County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Caldwell County had its largest rise in the last span, from 8,711 in 2020 to 11,130 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Caldwell County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 11,130, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 6,301. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Caldwell County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.0% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,187 | 2024 $70,980 |
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 Caldwell County's history
1848
Founded on March 6, 1848. Wikipedia
1922
Luling Oilfield discovered August 9, 1922 by Edgar B. Davis. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in August 1980 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in October 1998 did $20 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A thunderstorm in June 2003 did $13 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in December 2018 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 45,883, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Caldwell County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Caldwell County beside its neighbors
Caldwell County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Caldwell County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (24.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell County, TX | 70 | 11.8% | 24.0% |
| Gonzales County, TX | 61 | 18.0% | 21.2% |
| Bastrop County, TX | 54 | 9.6% | 19.7% |
| Hays County, TX | 43 | 10.8% | 12.8% |
| Guadalupe County, TX | 41 | 7.9% | 19.5% |
| Travis County, TX | 32 | 10.5% | 7.6% |
| Fayette County, TX | 32 | 10.2% | 23.0% |
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 Caldwell County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Caldwell County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 191st 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, Caldwell County ranks 105th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.