Hale County, Texas

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.6 | 31,761 people · 41st most distressed in Texas

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Hale County, TX shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.6 — 231st 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 41st of 254 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Hale County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 84.1 — worse than roughly 84% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 84.1
Poverty Rate 83
Income vs. State Median 81
Child Poverty Rate 88
Debt & Delinquency 79.8
Debt in Collections 96
Medical Debt 92
Student Loan Delinquency 97
Auto Loan Delinquency 90
Credit Card Delinquency 84
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 19
Community Vulnerability 63.9
Uninsured Rate 99
Disability Rate 29
Housing Cost Burden 61.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 45
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 66
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 41
Homeownership Rate 93
Rent-to-Income Ratio 60
Employment & Wages 59.2
Unemployment Rate 49
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 41
Business Formation Rate 88

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Hale County
Hale County, TX 69.6 Serious
Crosby County, TX 76.0 Serious +6.4
Swisher County, TX 70.4 Serious +0.8
Floyd County, TX 68.1 Serious -1.5
Lubbock County, TX 63.7 Elevated -6.0
Hockley County, TX 57.7 Elevated -11.9
Lamb County, TX 57.4 Elevated -12.2
Castro County, TX 53.7 Elevated -15.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Hale County
McCurtain County, OK 69.6 Serious +0.0
Dodge County, GA 69.7 Serious +0.0
Pittsburg County, OK 69.7 Serious +0.0
Pike County, MS 69.7 Serious +0.1
Jackson County, AR 69.7 Serious +0.1

Download Data

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Find Help in Hale County

Find an Attorney

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

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Hale County residents at no cost.

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.

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