About two in five people with a credit file in Fannin County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Fannin County, 37.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fannin County's score
In Fannin County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 72.7. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fannin 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.
Fannin County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.5%, fiscal year 2027) and people with a disability (14.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.9% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people135.7 · 202554th percentile
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- 71.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.8% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.8% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
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- 59.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.4% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
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- 50.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.2% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance14.3% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,819 · 202438th percentile
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- 43.5 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 rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th 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 Fannin 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 Fannin County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fannin County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Fannin County had its largest rise, from 24.1% in 2004 to 29.6% in 2009.
In Fannin County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 28.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Fannin County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fannin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.2% in 2011 to 14.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Fannin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 10.3%
Biggest drop: 2012 to 2013, reaching 12.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fannin County, Texas.
How Fannin County has changed
Fannin County's population nearly doubled to 38,650, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 30,611. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fannin County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Fannin County rose by about half to 8,995, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 8,995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fannin County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.1% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,954 | 2024 $70,819 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Fannin County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 51,793. The 2020 Census counted 35,662, 69% of the peak. Census Bureau
1955
A tornado in April 1955 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in April 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A thunderstorm in August 1997 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in May 2024 did $1.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fannin County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fannin County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Fannin County, in Texas and Oklahoma, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fannin County ranks 4th of the seven; Lamar County is highest, at 31.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar County, TX | 82 | 17.2% | 31.3% |
| Hunt County, TX | 78 | 11.1% | 22.7% |
| Bryan County, OK | 75 | 14.2% | 29.9% |
| Grayson County, TX | 70 | 11.0% | 24.4% |
| Fannin County, TX | 66 | 12.8% | 28.9% |
| Delta County, TX | 56 | 14.6% | 31.3% |
| Collin County, TX | 25 | 5.7% | 8.2% |
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 Fannin County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Fannin County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 173rd 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, Fannin County ranks 128th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fannin 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 Fannin 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 Fannin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.