About one in four people in Haskell County, Texas, lives below the poverty line
In Haskell County, 22.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Haskell County's score
In Haskell County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 88.2. Late payments on loans come next, at 83.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Haskell 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.
Haskell County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (7.2%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (8.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.8% · 202493rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.6% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability19.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance16.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,130 · 202488th percentile
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- 83.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.2% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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- 57.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.7% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people74.3 · 202521st percentile
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- 41.3 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 rent8.4% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 29.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working7.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Haskell 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 Haskell County, 22.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Haskell County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Haskell County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 37.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Haskell County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Haskell County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 19.2% in 2019 to 16.3% in 2020; 16.3% in 2020 to 19.2% in 2021.
The share of households in Haskell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a third
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 16.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Haskell County, Texas.
How Haskell County has changed
Haskell County's population had its largest drop, from 8,580 in 1969 to 7,790 in 1974.
Haskell County's population fell 37% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 8,580 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Haskell County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Haskell County had its largest drop in the last span, from 1,970 in 2020 to 1,494 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Haskell County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,970 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Haskell County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.0% | 2024 22.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,429 | 2024 $52,130 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Haskell County's history
1858
Created in 1858, organized in 1885. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 16,669. The 2020 Census counted 5,416, 32% of the peak. Census Bureau
1951
A tornado in May 1951 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1953
A tornado in March 1953 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed 12 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1962
A tornado in May 1962 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A thunderstorm in June 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1978
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Haskell County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Haskell County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Haskell County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Haskell County ranks 2nd of the six; Knox County is highest, at 40.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jones County, TX | 86 | 22.7% | 30.3% |
| Throckmorton County, TX | 77 | 14.1% | 36.3% |
| Haskell County, TX | 67 | 22.8% | 37.5% |
| Stonewall County, TX | 57 | 16.5% | 24.0% |
| Knox County, TX | 53 | 19.0% | 40.6% |
| Shackelford County, TX | 42 | 12.1% | 16.5% |
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 Haskell County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Haskell County's poverty rate was 22.8% in 2024, 16th 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, Haskell County ranks 123rd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Haskell 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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Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
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 Haskell 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 Haskell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.