In Fayette County, Texas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Fayette County, 17.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fayette County's score
In Fayette County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 60.5. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 29.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fayette 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.
Even so, Fayette County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (7.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 38.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.2% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance9.9% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,540 · 202426th percentile
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- 35.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 35.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.3% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.8 · 202516th percentile
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- 29.4 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 rent17.1% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202714th 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County, 26.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fayette County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Fayette County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 23.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Fayette County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.4% in 2017 to 8.1% in 2018.
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 7.4%
Low on the chart: 5.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fayette County, Texas.
How Fayette County has changed
Fayette County's population had its largest rise, from 18,373 in 1979 to 20,752 in 1984.
Fayette County's population rose by about half to 25,488, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 25,488 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fayette County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County made its largest gain on the way to its 2015 high, from 8,383 in 2010 to 9,431 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 9,431 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fayette County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.4% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 10.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,068 | 2024 $76,540 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Fayette County's history
1837
Fayette County was established in 1837 from land given by Bastrop and Colorado Counties. Wikipedia
1848
German and Czech emigrants settled in La Grange area after 1848 revolutions, saying rolling hills and forests were reminiscent of their homelands. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 36,542. The 2020 Census counted 24,435, 67% of the peak. Census Bureau
1991
A tornado in April 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in April 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in August 2017 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in May 2019 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fayette County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fayette County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Fayette County, seven score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fayette County ranks 4th of the nine; Colorado County is highest, at 27.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell County, TX | 70 | 11.8% | 24.0% |
| Gonzales County, TX | 61 | 18.0% | 21.2% |
| Bastrop County, TX | 54 | 9.6% | 19.7% |
| Austin County, TX | 54 | 11.1% | 21.3% |
| Colorado County, TX | 50 | 13.4% | 27.0% |
| Lee County, TX | 42 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| Washington County, TX | 39 | 12.4% | 22.8% |
| Fayette County, TX | 32 | 10.2% | 23.0% |
| Lavaca County, TX | 19 | 12.4% | 25.6% |
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 Fayette County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Fayette County's poverty rate was 10.2% in 2024, 220th 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, Fayette County ranks 227th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fayette 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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Lone Star 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.