Unemployment in Fisher County, Texas, is lower than in 76% of U.S. counties
In Fisher County, 3.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 76% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fisher County's score
In Fisher County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 69.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 18.8. About one in 13 renters (7.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fisher 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, Fisher County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (11.5%, August 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (51.5%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.5% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.5% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 64.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.3% · 202461st percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance11.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,430 · 202456th percentile
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- 45.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202624th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.7% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 40.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.6% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people27.7 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 18.8 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 rent7.5% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th 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 Fisher 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 Fisher County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fisher County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Fisher County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 24.0% in 2004 to 30.9% in 2009.
In Fisher County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 28.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Fisher County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income 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
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Fisher County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 13.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 8.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fisher County, Texas.
How Fisher County has changed
Fisher County's population had its largest drop, from 5,637 in 1984 to 4,961 in 1989.
Fisher County's population fell 43% from 1969 to 2024, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1974 to 1979, reaching 6,037. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fisher County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Fisher County fell by about a quarter to 818, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2015 to 2020, reaching 826. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fisher County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.2% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,373 | 2024 $64,430 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Fisher County's history
1876
Fisher County was created in 1876 and organized in 1886. Wikipedia
1885
Swedish immigrants founded the community of Swedonia in 1885. Wikipedia
1928
Cotton production peaked with 48,000 bales ginned in Fisher County in 1926; oil discovered in 1928. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 13,563. The 2020 Census counted 3,672, 27% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
Hail in May 2002 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fisher County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fisher County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Fisher County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fisher County ranks 3rd of the six; Jones County is highest, at 30.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jones County, TX | 86 | 22.7% | 30.3% |
| Nolan County, TX | 84 | 19.7% | 27.9% |
| Scurry County, TX | 60 | 15.1% | 23.3% |
| Stonewall County, TX | 57 | 16.5% | 24.0% |
| Kent County, TX | 48 | 11.9% | 29.0% |
| Fisher County, TX | 46 | 14.9% | 28.9% |
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 Fisher County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Fisher County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 120th 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, Fisher County ranks 195th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fisher 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 Fisher 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 Fisher County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.