About half people with a credit file in Duval County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Duval County, 49.7% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector (Urban Institute, Debt in America, August 2025). That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Duval County's score
In Duval County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 93.9. About two in five children (36.8%, 2024) live below the poverty line, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 91.7.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Duval County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (20.8, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.9%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Duval County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 93.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line36.8% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability22.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$45,438 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line24.8% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance22.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 91.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.3% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a credit card behind12.1% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.9% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 86.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working36.4% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.9% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202678th percentile
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- 62.7 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.5% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.9% · 2020 to 202430th 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 collector49.7% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people20.8 · 20255th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Duval County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Duval County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Duval County in 2024, pay from work was 46 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 8 cents. Benefit checks were 46 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in three of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Duval County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 46 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Duval County, Texas: 45.8% and 46.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 45.8% of all personal income in Duval County, Texas (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Duval County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Duval County has changed
The number of people living in Duval County fell by about two in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 12,187 to 9,585. The number of jobs located there grew by about 24% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.4% in 1990 to 4.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 12,187 | 2024 9,585 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,968 | 2024 3,673 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.4% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 36.3% | 2024 24.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,335 | 2024 $45,438 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.1% | 2024 45.8% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Duval County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 20,565. The 2020 Census counted 9,831, 48% of the peak. Census Bureau
1858
On February 1, 1858, the Texas Legislature established Duval County. Wikipedia
1886
Sheep Wars erupted following livestock collapse in winter 1886-1887. Wikipedia
2013
Hail: $5.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Duval County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Duval County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Duval County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Duval County ranks 2nd of the seven; Brooks County is highest, at 46.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Wells County, TX | 95 | 22.8% | 36.3% |
| Duval County, TX | 92 | 24.8% | 45.8% |
| Brooks County, TX | 90 | 30.6% | 46.9% |
| Webb County, TX | 88 | 20.6% | 24.6% |
| Jim Hogg County, TX | 87 | 22.1% | 39.7% |
| Live Oak County, TX | 80 | 18.0% | 24.2% |
| McMullen County, TX | 67 | 10.9% | 15.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Duval County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Duval County's poverty rate was 24.8% in 2024, 9th 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, Duval County ranks 10th of 254 in the state.
Duval County in photographs
Places in Duval County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Duval County Courthouse located at San Diego, Texas, United States.
Duval County, Texas: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Duval County, Texas?
24.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 36.8%.
Is Duval County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Duval County's poverty rate was 24.8% in 2024, 9th 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, Duval County ranks 10th of 254 in the state.
What is the population of Duval County, Texas?
About 9,585 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 9,831, half the county's peak of 20,565 in 1940.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Duval County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Lone Star Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Duval County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.