About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Dallam County, Texas, have a job
In Dallam County, 9.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dallam County's score
In Dallam County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 57.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 7.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dallam 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, Dallam County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (24.4%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.0% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 54.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.8% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people82.9 · 202527th percentile
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- 48.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability8.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance24.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,621 · 202459th percentile
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- 46.3 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 rent4.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.1% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 7.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20269th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Dallam 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 Dallam County, 11.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dallam County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Dallam County had its largest rise, from 8.8% in 1979 to 12.4% in 1984.
In Dallam County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 12.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Dallam County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dallam County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.9% in 2021 to 5.7% in 2022.
The share of households in Dallam County getting SNAP food aid fell by about a fifth from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.6%, with its low point on the chart in 2022
Low on the chart: 5.7% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dallam County, Texas.
How Dallam County has changed
Dallam County's population had its largest drop, from 6,378 in 1984 to 5,543 in 1989.
Dallam County's population fell to its lowest on the chart in 1989, then climbed past the 1969 level
Low on the chart: 5,543 in 1989. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dallam County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Dallam County more than doubled to 4,788, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 3,053. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dallam County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.3% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.1% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,226 | 2024 $63,621 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Dallam County's history
1876
Formed in 1876 from Bexar County. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 7,830. The 2020 Census counted 7,115, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
Hail in June 1999 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1998
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dallam County. FEMA
Dallam County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Dallam County, in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dallam County ranks 3rd of the five; Union County is highest, at 41.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, NM | 60 | 18.3% | 41.9% |
| Cimarron County, OK | 40 | 17.2% | 20.3% |
| Dallam County, TX | 37 | 11.7% | 12.5% |
| Sherman County, TX | 30 | 12.1% | 5.5% |
| Hartley County, TX | 22 | 9.2% | 3.8% |
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 Dallam County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Dallam County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 193rd 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, Dallam County ranks 217th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dallam 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 Dallam 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 Dallam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.