Unemployment in Comanche County, Texas, is lower than in 71% of U.S. counties
In Comanche County, 3.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 71% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Comanche County's score
In Comanche County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 72.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 28.7. About one in 14 renters (7.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Comanche 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.
Even so, Comanche County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (20.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (33.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.7% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance20.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,941 · 202473rd percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.6% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 53.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.1% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people78.3 · 202524th percentile
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- 35.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.7% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
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- 28.7 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 rent7.3% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th 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 Comanche 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 Comanche County, 23.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Comanche County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Comanche County had its largest rise, from 24.4% in 2004 to 31.7% in 2009.
In Comanche County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 28.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Comanche County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Comanche County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 7.3% in 2023 to 10.5% in 2024.
The share of households in Comanche County getting SNAP food aid fell by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.5%, with its low point on the chart in 2023
Low on the chart: 7.3% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Comanche County, Texas.
How Comanche County has changed
Comanche County's population rose by about a quarter to 14,359, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 13,450. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Comanche County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Comanche County rose by about half to 4,416, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 4,416. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Comanche County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.6% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,779 | 2024 $58,941 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Comanche County's history
1856
Formed in 1856 from Coryell and Bosque counties. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 27,186. The 2020 Census counted 13,594, 50% of the peak. Census Bureau
1990
A tornado in April 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in October 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
Hail in April 1994 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in May 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Comanche County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Comanche County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Comanche County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Comanche County ranks 4th of the six; Mills County is highest, at 34.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, TX | 86 | 16.7% | 33.5% |
| Eastland County, TX | 78 | 18.5% | 34.8% |
| Erath County, TX | 68 | 14.9% | 21.3% |
| Hamilton County, TX | 57 | 13.7% | 24.2% |
| Comanche County, TX | 48 | 14.5% | 28.7% |
| Mills County, TX | 32 | 13.6% | 34.9% |
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 Comanche County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Comanche County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 133rd 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, Comanche County ranks 186th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Comanche 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 Comanche 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 Comanche County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.