Denton County, Texas
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Denton County. Population: 1,007,703 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Denton County, TX falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 43.5 — 2124th 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 221st of 254 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Denton 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
Employment & Wages
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
How Denton County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denton County, TX | 43.5 | Normal | — |
| Dallas County, TX | 60.3 | Elevated | +16.9 |
| Grayson County, TX | 57.2 | Elevated | +13.7 |
| Tarrant County, TX | 56.6 | Elevated | +13.1 |
| Cooke County, TX | 53.4 | Elevated | +10.0 |
| Wise County, TX | 43.9 | Normal | +0.5 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 44.0 | Normal | +0.5 |
| Orange County, CA | 41.9 | Normal | -1.6 |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 41.1 | Normal | -2.3 |
| San Diego County, CA | 46.3 | Normal | +2.9 |
| Salt Lake County, UT | 40.5 | Normal | -2.9 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Denton County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Denton County, Texas?
Denton County has a County Distress Index score of 43.5 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,124th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 221st in Texas out of 254 counties.
What drives financial distress in Denton County?
The primary driver of distress in Denton County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 79.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Denton County compare to neighboring counties?
Denton County (43.5) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Dallas County, TX (60.3); Grayson County, TX (57.2); Tarrant County, TX (56.6).
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 Denton County?
Denton County, Texas has a population of approximately 1,007,703 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.