Unemployment in Cameron County, Texas, is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Cameron County, 6.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cameron County's score
In Cameron County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 87.6. People with a car or retail loan behind: 10.2%, August 2025, higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 84.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cameron 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.
Cameron County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (52, 2025) and people with a disability (12.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.2% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.9% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
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- 84.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202696th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 78.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.3% · 202495th percentile
- Children below the poverty line33.2% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability12.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance25.8% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,973 · 202486th percentile
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- 74.3 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.6% · fiscal year 202775th percentile
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- 53.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.1% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people52 · 202510th 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 Cameron 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 Cameron County, 14.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cameron County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cameron County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Cameron County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cameron County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 27.5% in 2016 to 26.0% in 2017.
The share of households in Cameron County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 24.8%
Low on the chart: 23.6% 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, Cameron County, Texas.
How Cameron County has changed
Cameron County's population had its largest rise, from 256,512 in 1989 to 297,316 in 1994.
Cameron County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 431,874, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 419,726. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cameron County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Cameron County had its largest rise in the last span, from 137,637 in 2020 to 154,673 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Cameron County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 154,673, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 137,637. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cameron County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.8% | 2025 6.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 42.2% | 2024 24.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,634 | 2024 $52,973 |
The table uses 6.9% for 2025; the score uses 6.7% 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 Cameron County's history
1848
Founded 1848. Wikipedia
1848
Prior residents displaced when Brownsville was founded and lots were sold. Wikipedia
1863
Battle of Brownsville November 1863, Confederate forces abandoned Fort Brown. Wikipedia
2003
Hail in April 2003 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in June 2018 did $35 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in June 2019 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 421,017, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A flash flood in March 2025 did $105 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cameron County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cameron County beside its neighbors
Of the two counties that border Cameron County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cameron County ranks 2nd of the three; Willacy County is highest, at 44.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo County, TX | 91 | 24.2% | 31.6% |
| Cameron County, TX | 90 | 24.3% | 33.0% |
| Willacy County, TX | 88 | 24.2% | 44.0% |
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 Cameron County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Cameron County's poverty rate was 24.3% in 2024, 10th 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, Cameron County ranks 16th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cameron 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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cdcb-come dream.come build.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Cameron 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 Cameron County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.