Dallas County, Texas
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Dallas County. Population: 2,606,358 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Dallas County, TX registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.3 — 811th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Texas, it ranks 113th of 254 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Dallas County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
Employment & Wages
How Dallas County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County, TX | 60.3 | Elevated | — |
| Tarrant County, TX | 56.6 | Elevated | -3.8 |
| Kaufman County, TX | 55.1 | Elevated | -5.2 |
| Ellis County, TX | 52.1 | Elevated | -8.2 |
| Denton County, TX | 43.5 | Normal | -16.9 |
| Rockwall County, TX | 38.7 | Normal | -21.6 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino County, CA | 60.8 | Elevated | +0.5 |
| Orange County, FL | 59.5 | Elevated | -0.8 |
| Hillsborough County, FL | 59.2 | Elevated | -1.1 |
| Harris County, TX | 59.2 | Elevated | -1.2 |
| Broward County, FL | 59.1 | Elevated | -1.3 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Dallas County as a CSV file.
Resources
Dallas County scores in the Elevated zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Dallas County, Texas?
Dallas County has a County Distress Index score of 60.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 811th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 113th in Texas out of 254 counties.
What drives financial distress in Dallas County?
The primary driver of distress in Dallas County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 89.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Dallas County compare to neighboring counties?
Dallas County (60.3) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Tarrant County, TX (56.6); Kaufman County, TX (55.1); Ellis County, TX (52.1).
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 Dallas County?
Dallas County, Texas has a population of approximately 2,606,358 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.