In Calhoun County, Texas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Calhoun County, 17.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Calhoun County's score
In Calhoun County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 70.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 15.5. About one in 10 renters (10.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Calhoun 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, Calhoun County is worse off than most counties on people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (38.4%, August 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (51.4%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.4% · second quarter of 202682nd percentile
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- 57.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.3% · 202461st percentile
- People with a disability20.2% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,077 · 202443rd percentile
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- 53.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.4% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.9 · 202515th percentile
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- 36.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 15.5 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 rent10.3% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.6% · fiscal year 202718th 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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun County, 19.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Calhoun County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Calhoun County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 26.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Calhoun County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Calhoun County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.2% in 2017 to 15.5% in 2018.
The share of households in Calhoun County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 15.7%
Low on the chart: 10.6% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Calhoun County, Texas.
How Calhoun County has changed
Calhoun County's population had its largest drop, from 21,210 in 1984 to 19,071 in 1989.
Calhoun County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 21,388 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Calhoun County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Calhoun County rose by about a third to 13,054, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2010 and 2015
High on the chart: 13,054 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Calhoun County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.9% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,316 | 2024 $69,077 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Calhoun County's history
1846
Formed in 1846 from parts of Victoria, Jackson, and Matagorda counties. Wikipedia
1886
A hurricane destroys Indianola. Wikipedia
1934
Oil and natural gas discovered near Port Lavaca. Wikipedia
1990
A thunderstorm in March 1990 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 21,381. The 2020 Census counted 20,106, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
Lightning in May 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in August 2017 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A tornado in March 2018 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Calhoun County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Calhoun County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Calhoun County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Calhoun County ranks 4th of the six; Refugio County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matagorda County, TX | 85 | 14.8% | 28.6% |
| Refugio County, TX | 84 | 15.2% | 32.1% |
| Victoria County, TX | 82 | 14.3% | 24.0% |
| Aransas County, TX | 78 | 14.3% | 27.2% |
| Jackson County, TX | 65 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Calhoun County, TX | 44 | 14.5% | 26.8% |
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 Calhoun County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Calhoun County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 133rd 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, Calhoun County ranks 201st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Calhoun 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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.