Harris County, Texas
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Harris County. Population: 4,835,125 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Harris County, TX registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.2 — 894th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Texas, it ranks 123rd of 254 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show less distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Harris County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
Employment & Wages
How Harris County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County, TX | 59.2 | Elevated | — |
| Liberty County, TX | 67.5 | Serious Stress | +8.3 |
| Waller County, TX | 56.5 | Elevated | -2.6 |
| Galveston County, TX | 55.8 | Elevated | -3.4 |
| Montgomery County, TX | 46.1 | Normal | -13.1 |
| Brazoria County, TX | 44.9 | Normal | -14.3 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough County, FL | 59.2 | Elevated | +0.1 |
| Broward County, FL | 59.1 | Elevated | -0.1 |
| Orange County, FL | 59.5 | Elevated | +0.4 |
| Dallas County, TX | 60.3 | Elevated | +1.2 |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 60.8 | Elevated | +1.6 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Harris County as a CSV file.
Resources
Harris County scores in the Elevated zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Harris County, Texas?
Harris County has a County Distress Index score of 59.2 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 894th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 123rd in Texas out of 254 counties.
What drives financial distress in Harris County?
The primary driver of distress in Harris County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 88.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Harris County compare to neighboring counties?
Harris County (59.2) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Liberty County, TX (67.5); Waller County, TX (56.5); Galveston County, TX (55.8).
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 Harris County?
Harris County, Texas has a population of approximately 4,835,125 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.