About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Hall County, Texas, is not working
In Hall County, 33.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hall County's score
In Hall County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 89.0. About one in three children (34.9%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 76.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hall 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.
Hall County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (1.9%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (6.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.1% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line34.9% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability20.0% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- People without health insurance15.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,797 · 202486th percentile
-
- 76.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202657th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.1% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
-
- 57.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.9% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.1% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
-
- 38.9 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 rent6.8% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
-
- 37.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.4% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people71 · 202519th percentile
-
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 Hall 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 Hall County, 24.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hall County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hall County had its largest rise, from 25.8% in 1989 to 33.9% in 1994.
In Hall County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 40.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Hall County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.2% in 2019 to 12.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Hall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 10.6% 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, Hall County, Texas.
How Hall County has changed
Hall County's population had its largest drop, from 4,981 in 1984 to 4,017 in 1989.
Hall County's population fell by about half to 2,828, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 6,105 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hall County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Hall County had its largest drop, from 1,084 in 2005 to 915 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Hall County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 1,105 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hall County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 30.3% | 2024 22.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,090 | 2024 $52,797 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Hall County's history
1876
Hall County was created in 1876 and organized in 1890. Wikipedia
1907
Memphis Cotton Oil Mill established. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 16,966. The 2020 Census counted 2,825, 17% of the peak. Census Bureau
1978
A tornado in May 1978 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in May 2016 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A thunderstorm in August 2017 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A flash flood in May 2022 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1989
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hall County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hall County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Hall County, three score higher. Of the group, Hall County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (40.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motley County, TX | 76 | 19.4% | 36.3% |
| Cottle County, TX | 72 | 19.0% | 17.1% |
| Donley County, TX | 68 | 17.2% | 33.5% |
| Hall County, TX | 66 | 22.1% | 40.4% |
| Childress County, TX | 58 | 20.0% | 30.6% |
| Briscoe County, TX | 55 | 14.7% | 27.6% |
| Collingsworth County, TX | 49 | 16.6% | 32.1% |
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 Hall County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Hall County's poverty rate was 22.1% in 2024, 20th 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, Hall County ranks 126th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hall 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.
-
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Legal aid
-
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.
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 Hall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.