Gray County, Texas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.6 | 20,916 people · 118th most distressed in Texas
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Gray County, TX registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.6 — 866th 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 118th of 254 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Gray County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 70.4 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 70.4
Poverty Rate 75
Income vs. State Median 65
Child Poverty Rate 71
Debt & Delinquency 64.9
Debt in Collections 88
Medical Debt 95
Student Loan Delinquency 63
Auto Loan Delinquency 46
Credit Card Delinquency 84
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 13
Community Vulnerability 56.8
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 19
Housing Cost Burden 56.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 72
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 65
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 33
Homeownership Rate 55
Rent-to-Income Ratio 58
Employment & Wages 49.3
Unemployment Rate 49
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 12
Business Formation Rate 87

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Gray County
Gray County, TX 59.6 Elevated —
Donley County, TX 62.1 Elevated +2.5
Collingsworth County, TX 58.9 Elevated -0.7
Wheeler County, TX 57.9 Elevated -1.7
Hemphill County, TX 49.9 Normal -9.7
Roberts County, TX 45.0 Normal -14.6
Carson County, TX 35.7 Normal -23.8
Armstrong County, TX 30.2 Healthy -29.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Gray County
Douglas County, MO 59.5 Elevated -0.0
Perquimans County, NC 59.6 Elevated +0.0
Brooke County, WV 59.5 Elevated -0.0
Cannon County, TN 59.6 Elevated +0.0
Lincoln Parish, LA 59.6 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Gray 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 Gray 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 Gray County, Texas?

    Gray County has a County Distress Index score of 59.6 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 866th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 118th in Texas out of 254 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Gray County?

    The primary driver of distress in Gray County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 70.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Gray County compare to neighboring counties?

    Gray County (59.6) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Donley County, TX (62.1); Collingsworth County, TX (58.9); Wheeler County, TX (57.9).

  • 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 Gray County?

    Gray County, Texas has a population of approximately 20,916 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.