Cottle County, Texas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 55.4 | 1,294 people · 155th most distressed in Texas
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Cottle County, TX registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 55.4 — 1182nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Texas, it ranks 155th of 254 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Cottle County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 87.5 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 87.5
Poverty Rate 86
Income vs. State Median 81
Child Poverty Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 76.1
Uninsured Rate 57
Disability Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 70.8
Debt in Collections 86
Medical Debt 87
Student Loan Delinquency 80
Auto Loan Delinquency 74
Credit Card Delinquency 73
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 25
Housing Cost Burden 22.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 8
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 26
Rent-to-Income Ratio 69
Employment & Wages 20.0
Unemployment Rate 5
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 5
Business Formation Rate 50

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Cottle County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Cottle County
Cottle County, TX 55.4 Elevated —
Foard County, TX 74.2 Serious +18.9
Hardeman County, TX 71.3 Serious +15.9
Dickens County, TX 68.4 Serious +13.0
Motley County, TX 67.7 Serious +12.3
Hall County, TX 65.8 Serious +10.4
Childress County, TX 58.3 Elevated +2.9
King County, TX 32.1 Healthy -23.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Cottle County
Webster County, MS 55.5 Elevated +0.1
Golden Valley County, MT 55.5 Elevated +0.1
Mills County, TX 55.3 Elevated -0.1
Blaine County, OK 55.2 Elevated -0.2
Kimble County, TX 55.2 Elevated -0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Cottle 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 Cottle 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 Cottle County, Texas?

    Cottle County has a County Distress Index score of 55.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,182nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 155th in Texas out of 254 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Cottle County?

    The primary driver of distress in Cottle County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 87.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Cottle County compare to neighboring counties?

    Cottle County (55.4) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Foard County, TX (74.2); Hardeman County, TX (71.3); Dickens County, TX (68.4).

  • 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 Cottle County?

    Cottle County, Texas has a population of approximately 1,294 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.