Garza County, Texas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.1 | 4,517 people · 114th most distressed in Texas
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Garza County, TX registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.1 — 823rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Texas, it ranks 114th of 254 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Garza County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 80.9 — worse than roughly 81% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 80.9
Poverty Rate 80
Income vs. State Median 78
Child Poverty Rate 84
Community Vulnerability 75.7
Uninsured Rate 93
Disability Rate 59
Debt & Delinquency 68.3
Debt in Collections 84
Medical Debt 78
Student Loan Delinquency 80
Auto Loan Delinquency 74
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 8
Employment & Wages 40.3
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 25
Business Formation Rate 65
Housing Cost Burden 35.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 28
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 10
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 76
Rent-to-Income Ratio 58

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Garza County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Garza County
Garza County, TX 60.1 Elevated —
Crosby County, TX 76.0 Serious +16.0
Dickens County, TX 68.4 Serious +8.3
Lubbock County, TX 63.7 Elevated +3.6
Lynn County, TX 51.4 Elevated -8.7
Scurry County, TX 50.0 Normal -10.1
Kent County, TX 44.3 Normal -15.8
Borden County, TX 27.8 Healthy -32.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Garza County
Corson County, SD 60.0 Elevated -0.1
Dewey County, SD 60.2 Elevated +0.1
Pickett County, TN 60.0 Elevated -0.1
Catron County, NM 60.4 Elevated +0.3
Leslie County, KY 59.7 Elevated -0.4

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Garza County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Garza County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-252-9690

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Garza County residents at no cost.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid 1-888-988-9996
Lone Star Legal Aid 1-800-733-8394
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (888) 529-5277

Self-Help Resources

Texas State Law Library — Foreclosure Research Guide Comprehensive guide to Texas foreclosure law with links to statutes, forms, and practice guides.
TexasLawHelp.org Free legal information and self-help resources for low-income Texans.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Garza County, Texas?

    Garza County has a County Distress Index score of 60.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 823rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 114th in Texas out of 254 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Garza County?

    The primary driver of distress in Garza County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 80.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Garza County compare to neighboring counties?

    Garza County (60.1) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Crosby County, TX (76.0); Dickens County, TX (68.4); Lubbock County, TX (63.7).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Garza County?

    Garza County, Texas has a population of approximately 4,517 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.