About one in 15 people in Comal County, Texas, lives below the poverty line
In Comal County, 6.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Comal County's score
In Comal County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 45.9. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 23.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Comal 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.
Comal County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 45.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.5% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people130.5 · 202552nd percentile
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- 43.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
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- 35.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.2% · second quarter of 202619th percentile
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- 34.8 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 rent20.3% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.8% · fiscal year 20276th percentile
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- 23.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.9% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.8% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability14.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance10.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$109,427 · 20243rd 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 Comal 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 Comal County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Comal County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Comal County rose most in two steps: 8.1% in 1969 to 10.7% in 1974; 13.2% in 2004 to 15.8% in 2009.
In Comal County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 17.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Comal County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Comal County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 7.0% in 2014 to 6.1% in 2015.
The share of households in Comal County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 4.4%
Low on the chart: 4.3% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Comal County, Texas.
How Comal County has changed
Comal County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 155,219 in 2019 to 201,628 in 2024.
Comal County's population grew to about eight times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 201,628, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 29,195. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Comal County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Comal County had its largest rise in the last span, from 58,746 in 2020 to 77,346 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Comal County grew to about five times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 77,346, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 32,967. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Comal County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 6.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,376 | 2024 $109,427 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Comal County's history
1998
A flash flood in October 1998 did $50 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in March 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in June 2010 did $10 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in October 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 161,501, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Comal County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Comal County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Comal County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Comal County ranks 4th of the six; Guadalupe County is highest, at 19.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bexar County, TX | 79 | 14.6% | 18.4% |
| Hays County, TX | 43 | 10.8% | 12.8% |
| Guadalupe County, TX | 41 | 7.9% | 19.5% |
| Comal County, TX | 26 | 6.9% | 17.2% |
| Kendall County, TX | 18 | 6.5% | 13.4% |
| Blanco County, TX | 16 | 8.0% | 19.2% |
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 Comal County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Comal County's poverty rate was 6.9% in 2024, 248th 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, Comal County ranks 241st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Comal 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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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.
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 Comal County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.