About one in 12 people in Gillespie County, Texas, lives below the poverty line
In Gillespie County, 8.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gillespie County's score
In Gillespie County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 51.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 10.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.2%, August 2025, lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gillespie 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, Gillespie County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (13.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.4% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.0% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
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- 42.4 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 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 33.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.2% · 20249th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.7% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance13.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$86,869 · 202412th percentile
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- 19.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.9% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57.7 · 202513th percentile
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- 10.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.3% · second quarter of 202617th 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 Gillespie 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 Gillespie County, 30.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gillespie County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gillespie County had its largest rise, from 14.1% in 1984 to 17.1% in 1989.
In Gillespie County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 18.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Gillespie County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gillespie County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.4% in 2014 to 6.5% in 2015.
The share of households in Gillespie County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 3.6%
Low on the chart: 3.5% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Gillespie County, Texas.
How Gillespie County has changed
Gillespie County's population had its largest rise, from 13,175 in 1979 to 15,583 in 1984.
Gillespie County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28,159, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 25,363. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gillespie County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Gillespie County had its largest rise in the last span, from 10,621 in 2020 to 12,576 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Gillespie County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 12,576, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 10,621. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gillespie County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.6% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.3% | 2024 8.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,131 | 2024 $86,869 |
The table uses 3.1% 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 Gillespie County's history
1862
Union League protected frontier against Confederate forces. Wikipedia
2000
A flash flood in November 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in November 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in May 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 26,725, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flash flood in March 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1991
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gillespie County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gillespie County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Gillespie County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gillespie County ranks 6th of the seven; Kimble County is highest, at 31.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimble County, TX | 45 | 15.4% | 31.3% |
| Kerr County, TX | 40 | 11.2% | 23.6% |
| Llano County, TX | 32 | 11.8% | 27.1% |
| Mason County, TX | 25 | 11.2% | 28.4% |
| Kendall County, TX | 18 | 6.5% | 13.4% |
| Gillespie County, TX | 18 | 8.2% | 18.5% |
| Blanco County, TX | 16 | 8.0% | 19.2% |
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 Gillespie County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Gillespie County's poverty rate was 8.2% in 2024, 237th 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, Gillespie County ranks 251st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gillespie 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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Texas RioGrande 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 Gillespie 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 Gillespie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.