About half people with a credit file in Culberson County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Culberson County, 47.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Culberson County's score
In Culberson County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 83.2. About one in five people (19.2%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 76.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Culberson 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.
Culberson County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (4.6%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (45.5, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.2% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.2% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability23.5% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance19.2% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,099 · 202457th percentile
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- 76.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.6% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 64.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working37.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 51.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector47.4% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people45.5 · 20257th percentile
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- 24.8 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 rent4.6% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th 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 Culberson 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 Culberson County, 29.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Culberson County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Culberson County had its largest rise, from 15.5% in 1989 to 22.7% in 1994.
In Culberson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Culberson County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Culberson County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2019 low, from 13.6% in 2019 to 25.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Culberson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2023 and has since fallen to 26.7%
Low on the chart: 13.6% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Culberson County, Texas.
How Culberson County has changed
Culberson County's population had its largest drop, from 3,729 in 1984 to 3,357 in 1989.
Culberson County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 40% since
High on the chart: 3,729 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Culberson County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Culberson County had its largest rise in the last span, from 1,289 in 2020 to 1,589 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Culberson County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2000, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 957 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Culberson County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.9% | 2024 18.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,822 | 2024 $64,099 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Culberson County's history
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 3,429. The 2020 Census counted 2,188, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1998
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Culberson County. FEMA
Culberson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Culberson County, in Texas and New Mexico, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Culberson County ranks 5th of the six; Hudspeth County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otero County, NM | 75 | 19.3% | 30.7% |
| Reeves County, TX | 71 | 16.8% | 15.5% |
| Hudspeth County, TX | 68 | 30.2% | 32.5% |
| Culberson County, TX | 67 | 18.2% | 16.0% |
| Jeff Davis County, TX | 63 | 12.8% | 25.2% |
| Eddy County, NM | 55 | 15.1% | 16.6% |
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 Culberson County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Culberson County's poverty rate was 18.2% in 2024, 56th 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, Culberson County ranks 121st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Culberson 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.
Download the CSV for Culberson 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 Culberson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.