About one in three people with a credit file in Callahan County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Callahan County, 32.7% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 81% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Callahan County's score
In Callahan County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 58.0. About one in six people (15.5%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 90% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 57.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Callahan 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.
Callahan County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.8%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance15.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,065 · 202449th percentile
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- 57.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.7% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people97.4 · 202534th percentile
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- 56.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.1% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 46.2 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 rent11.8% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202774th percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202626th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.5% · 2020 to 202460th 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 Callahan 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 Callahan County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Callahan County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Callahan County had its largest rise, from 22.5% in 2004 to 26.9% in 2009.
In Callahan County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Callahan County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Callahan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.6% in 2011 to 7.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Callahan County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2012, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 7.9% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Callahan County, Texas.
How Callahan County has changed
Callahan County's population nearly doubled to 14,615, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 12,832. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Callahan County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Callahan County had its largest rise in the last span, from 2,437 in 2020 to 3,043 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Callahan County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 3,043, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 2,119. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Callahan County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.8% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,540 | 2024 $67,065 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Callahan County's history
1858
Founded in 1858 and later organized in 1877. Wikipedia
1950
A tornado in April 1950 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1962
A tornado in June 1962 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1976
A tornado in May 1976 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 13,708, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1990
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Callahan County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Callahan County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Callahan County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Callahan County ranks 5th of the seven; Coleman County is highest, at 35.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, TX | 86 | 16.7% | 33.5% |
| Jones County, TX | 86 | 22.7% | 30.3% |
| Eastland County, TX | 78 | 18.5% | 34.8% |
| Coleman County, TX | 73 | 18.8% | 35.8% |
| Taylor County, TX | 67 | 14.8% | 22.7% |
| Callahan County, TX | 54 | 11.5% | 27.8% |
| Shackelford County, TX | 42 | 12.1% | 16.5% |
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 Callahan County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Callahan County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 194th 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, Callahan County ranks 169th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Callahan 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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Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
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 Callahan 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 Callahan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.