Clay County, Texas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 55.7 | 10,738 people · 153rd most distressed in Texas
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Clay County, TX registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 55.7 — 1168th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Texas, it ranks 153rd of 254 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Clay County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 88.8 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 88.8
Uninsured Rate 94
Disability Rate 83
Debt & Delinquency 65.0
Debt in Collections 68
Medical Debt 92
Student Loan Delinquency 80
Auto Loan Delinquency 50
Credit Card Delinquency 31
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 69
Employment & Wages 64.6
Unemployment Rate 41
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 71
Business Formation Rate 81
Income & Poverty 32.2
Poverty Rate 35
Income vs. State Median 16
Child Poverty Rate 46
Housing Cost Burden 27.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 17
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 38
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 43
Homeownership Rate 17
Rent-to-Income Ratio 24

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Clay County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clay County
Clay County, TX 55.7 Elevated —
Jefferson County, OK 70.7 Serious +15.1
Wichita County, TX 67.2 Serious +11.5
Cotton County, OK 64.4 Elevated +8.7
Montague County, TX 62.6 Elevated +6.9
Jack County, TX 53.5 Elevated -2.1
Archer County, TX 44.8 Normal -10.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clay County
Pamlico County, NC 55.6 Elevated -0.0
Greenup County, KY 55.7 Elevated +0.0
Comanche County, TX 55.6 Elevated -0.0
Tishomingo County, MS 55.7 Elevated +0.1
Hancock County, WV 55.7 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Clay County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Clay County

Find an Attorney

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

State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-252-9690

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Clay County residents at no cost.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid 1-888-988-9996
Lone Star Legal Aid 1-800-733-8394
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (888) 529-5277

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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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Clay County, Texas?

    Clay County has a County Distress Index score of 55.7 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,168th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 153rd in Texas out of 254 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Clay County?

    The primary driver of distress in Clay County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 88.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Clay County compare to neighboring counties?

    Clay County (55.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Jefferson County, OK (70.7); Wichita County, TX (67.2); Cotton County, OK (64.4).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Clay County?

    Clay County, Texas has a population of approximately 10,738 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.