About half people with a credit file in Dimmit County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Dimmit County, 48.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dimmit County's score
In Dimmit County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Unemployment averaged 7.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 94.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dimmit 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.
Dimmit County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (36.3, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working41.1% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 94.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.3% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score60.7% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 92.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line28.5% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line35.9% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability23.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance14.5% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,127 · 202492nd percentile
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- 72.0 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 rent20.0% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.8% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector48.2% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people36.3 · 20255th 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 Dimmit 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 Dimmit County, 16.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dimmit County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Dimmit County had its largest drop, from 37.5% in 2009 to 25.7% in 2014.
In Dimmit County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 32.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Dimmit County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dimmit County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop in the last span, from 33.8% in 2023 to 25.8% in 2024.
The share of households in Dimmit County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 25.8%, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 23.1% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dimmit County, Texas.
How Dimmit County has changed
Dimmit County's population had its largest drop, from 10,411 in 2014 to 8,838 in 2019.
Dimmit County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 11,961 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dimmit County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Dimmit County had its largest rise, from 3,083 in 2010 to 6,356 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Dimmit County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 6,356 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dimmit County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 14.1% | 2025 7.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 46.6% | 2024 28.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,249 | 2024 $49,127 |
The table uses 7.0% for 2025; the score uses 7.3% 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 Dimmit County's history
1858
Dimmit County was officially established in 1858 from parts of Bexar, Webb, Maverick, and Uvalde Counties. The county was organized in 1880. Wikipedia
1943
First producing oil well drilled. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 11,367. The 2020 Census counted 8,615, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1984
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dimmit County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dimmit County beside its neighbors
Dimmit County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dimmit County ranks 3rd of the six; Zavala County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimmit County, TX | 95 | 28.5% | 32.8% |
| Zavala County, TX | 94 | 25.7% | 39.7% |
| Maverick County, TX | 89 | 21.8% | 34.4% |
| Webb County, TX | 87 | 20.6% | 24.6% |
| Frio County, TX | 84 | 27.0% | 28.6% |
| La Salle County, TX | 76 | 27.3% | 23.8% |
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 Dimmit County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Dimmit County's poverty rate was 28.5% in 2024, 5th 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, Dimmit County ranks 2nd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dimmit 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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Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
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 Dimmit 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 Dimmit County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.