Dawson County, Texas

County Distress Index: Serious · 66.8 | 12,004 people · 65th most distressed in Texas
American Default Research

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Dawson County, TX shows significant household financial distress with a score of 66.8 — 387th 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 65th of 254 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Dawson County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 79.5 — worse than roughly 80% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 79.5
Poverty Rate 85
Income vs. State Median 71
Child Poverty Rate 83
Community Vulnerability 72.7
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 50
Debt & Delinquency 71.4
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 85
Student Loan Delinquency 80
Auto Loan Delinquency 87
Credit Card Delinquency 58
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 25
Employment & Wages 59.0
Unemployment Rate 55
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 41
Business Formation Rate 81
Housing Cost Burden 51.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 62
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 43
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 10
Homeownership Rate 71
Rent-to-Income Ratio 71

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Dawson County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Dawson County
Dawson County, TX 66.8 Serious —
Terry County, TX 69.3 Serious +2.5
Howard County, TX 58.4 Elevated -8.4
Lynn County, TX 51.4 Elevated -15.4
Martin County, TX 42.6 Normal -24.2
Gaines County, TX 38.7 Normal -28.2
Borden County, TX 27.8 Healthy -39.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Dawson County
Cass County, TX 66.8 Serious 0.0
Drew County, AR 66.9 Serious +0.0
Henry County, TN 66.8 Serious -0.0
Washington County, ME 66.8 Serious -0.0
Duplin County, NC 66.8 Serious -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Dawson 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 Dawson 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.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Dawson County, Texas?

    Dawson County has a County Distress Index score of 66.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 387th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 65th in Texas out of 254 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Dawson County?

    The primary driver of distress in Dawson County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 79.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Dawson County compare to neighboring counties?

    Dawson County (66.8) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Terry County, TX (69.3); Howard County, TX (58.4); Lynn County, TX (51.4).

  • 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 Dawson County?

    Dawson County, Texas has a population of approximately 12,004 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.