About one in three people with a credit file in Harris County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Harris County, 35.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harris County's score
In Harris County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 83.8. About one in four renters (25.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 88% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 78.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harris 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.
Harris County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.0%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($74,682, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.8 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 rent25.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.1% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 78.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.3% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.7% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
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- 65.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 65.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.1% · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people115 · 202543rd percentile
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- 57.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.3% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability11.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance20.9% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,682 · 202429th 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 Harris 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 Harris County, 11.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Harris County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Harris County rose most in two steps: 7.2% in 1989 to 9.5% in 1994; 9.0% in 2004 to 11.3% in 2009.
In Harris County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 12.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Harris County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Harris County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 9.8% in 2011 to 12.6% in 2013, 1.4 points each year.
The share of households in Harris County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 13.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2012 to 2013, reaching 12.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Harris County, Texas.
How Harris County has changed
Harris County's population had its largest rise, from 2,337,502 in 1979 to 2,757,361 in 1984.
Harris County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 5,009,302, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 2,763,975. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harris County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Harris County nearly doubled to 2,458,604, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 2,290,932. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harris County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,643 | 2024 $74,682 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Harris County's history
1836
December 22, 1836 (created) March 10, 1837 (organized). Wikipedia
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in April 2016 did $35 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in August 2017 did $10 billion in property damage and killed 36 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in September 2019 did $200 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 4,731,145, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
40 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harris County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harris County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Harris County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Harris County ranks 6th of the eight; Liberty County is highest, at 24.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty County, TX | 95 | 17.8% | 24.2% |
| Harris County, TX | 83 | 16.7% | 12.1% |
| Waller County, TX | 68 | 13.6% | 17.3% |
| Galveston County, TX | 65 | 12.6% | 18.3% |
| Brazoria County, TX | 47 | 9.1% | 16.9% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 46 | 9.1% | 12.1% |
| Chambers County, TX | 45 | 7.9% | 13.4% |
| Fort Bend County, TX | 38 | 7.7% | 11.1% |
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 Harris County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Harris County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 78th 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, Harris County ranks 49th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harris 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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Avenue Community Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Chinese Community Center
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Fifth-ward Community Redevelopment Corp.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Lone Star 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 Harris 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 Harris County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.