About two in five people with a credit file in Dawson County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Dawson County, 41.6% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dawson County's score
In Dawson County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 79.8. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dawson 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.
Dawson County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.2%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (14.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score63.1% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 75.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.1% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.1% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance22.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,227 · 202475th percentile
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- 74.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.7% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 59.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.6% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202524th percentile
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- 55.7 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 rent14.2% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.0% · fiscal year 202783rd 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County, 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dawson County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Dawson County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 23.5% in 2004 to 29.9% in 2009.
In Dawson County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Dawson County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dawson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.6% in 2015 to 13.7% in 2016.
The share of households in Dawson County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 8.5% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dawson County, Texas.
How Dawson County has changed
Dawson County's population fell by about a third to 11,758, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 14,637. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dawson County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Dawson County had its largest rise, from 4,214 in 1990 to 4,937 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Dawson County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 5,251 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dawson County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.2% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.4% | 2024 20.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,659 | 2024 $58,227 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Dawson County's history
1943
Discovery well for the Spraberry Trend. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 19,185. The 2020 Census counted 12,456, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
2021
A thunderstorm in June 2021 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in June 2021 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in June 2021 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1992
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dawson County. FEMA
Dawson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Dawson County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dawson County ranks 2nd of the six; Terry County is highest, at 31.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry County, TX | 84 | 19.8% | 31.2% |
| Dawson County, TX | 82 | 20.1% | 27.7% |
| Martin County, TX | 43 | 12.1% | 11.0% |
| Lynn County, TX | 37 | 13.9% | 23.8% |
| Borden County, TX | 34 | 10.2% | 6.3% |
| Gaines County, TX | 33 | 12.2% | 14.2% |
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 Dawson County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Dawson County's poverty rate was 20.1% in 2024, 35th 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, Dawson County ranks 57th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dawson 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.