About one in four people in Coleman County, Texas, has a disability
In Coleman County, 26.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Coleman County's score
In Coleman County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 89.8. Late payments on loans come next, at 72.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Coleman 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.
Coleman County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.4%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (76.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.8% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.2% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability26.1% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance21.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,648 · 202487th percentile
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- 72.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.8% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
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- 60.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.7% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 49.0 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 rent11.4% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.6% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 46.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.9% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.5 · 202523rd 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 Coleman 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 Coleman County, 26.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Coleman County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Coleman County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 35.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Coleman County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Coleman County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.3% in 2013 to 13.4% in 2014.
The share of households in Coleman County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 13.1%
Low on the chart: 9.0% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Coleman County, Texas.
How Coleman County has changed
Coleman County's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 10,920 in 1984 to 9,831 in 1989.
Coleman County's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2019, reaching 7,726, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 10,920 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Coleman County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Coleman County fell most sharply after its 1995 high, from 2,434 in 1995 to 2,165 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Coleman County fell 7% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 1,947 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Coleman County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.7% | 2024 18.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,960 | 2024 $52,648 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Coleman County's history
1683
Quicuchabe mission. Wikipedia
1908
First oil well came in. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 23,669. The 2020 Census counted 7,684, 32% of the peak. Census Bureau
1975
A tornado in May 1975 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A thunderstorm in May 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Hail in March 2001 did $2.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Hail in May 2006 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1991
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Coleman County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Coleman County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Coleman County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Coleman County ranks 2nd of the seven; McCulloch County is highest, at 38.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, TX | 86 | 16.7% | 33.5% |
| McCulloch County, TX | 80 | 18.2% | 38.8% |
| Coleman County, TX | 73 | 18.8% | 35.8% |
| Taylor County, TX | 67 | 14.8% | 22.7% |
| Runnels County, TX | 55 | 17.8% | 32.5% |
| Concho County, TX | 54 | 22.0% | 34.6% |
| Callahan County, TX | 54 | 11.5% | 27.8% |
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 Coleman County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Coleman County's poverty rate was 18.8% in 2024, 50th 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, Coleman County ranks 97th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Coleman 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 Coleman 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 Coleman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.