Cameron County, Texas

County Distress Index: Serious · 72.3 | 426,710 people · 23rd most distressed in Texas

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Cameron County, TX shows significant household financial distress with a score of 72.3 — 122nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Texas, it ranks 23rd of 254 counties. It scores lower than all 2 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Cameron County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 90.4 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 90.4
Poverty Rate 93
Income vs. State Median 83
Child Poverty Rate 95
Employment & Wages 79.4
Unemployment Rate 94
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 72
Business Formation Rate 72
Housing Cost Burden 71.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 79
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 77
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 41
Homeownership Rate 84
Rent-to-Income Ratio 76
Debt & Delinquency 61.4
Debt in Collections 96
Medical Debt 88
Student Loan Delinquency 1
Auto Loan Delinquency 93
Credit Card Delinquency 81
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 10
Community Vulnerability 59.0
Uninsured Rate 99
Disability Rate 19

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Cameron County compares to its 2 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Cameron County
Cameron County, TX 72.3 Serious
Hidalgo County, TX 72.4 Serious +0.0
Willacy County, TX 72.4 Serious +0.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Cameron County
Hidalgo County, TX 72.4 Serious +0.0
Webb County, TX 72.6 Serious +0.2
Merced County, CA 71.7 Serious -0.6
El Paso County, TX 71.6 Serious -0.7
Clayton County, GA 71.5 Serious -0.8

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State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Cameron County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

Texas State Law Library — Foreclosure Research Guide Comprehensive guide to Texas foreclosure law with links to statutes, forms, and practice guides.
TexasLawHelp.org Free legal information and self-help resources for low-income Texans.

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