About two in five people with a credit file in Hidalgo County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Hidalgo County, 43.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hidalgo County's score
In Hidalgo County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 89.2. Unemployment averaged 6.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 88.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hidalgo 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.
Hidalgo County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (42, 2025) and people with a disability (13.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202695th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.5% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 88.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.0% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.9% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
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- 78.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.2% · 202495th percentile
- Children below the poverty line32.6% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance28.2% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,829 · 202480th percentile
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- 73.0 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 rent24.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
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- 52.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector43.9% · August 202597th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people42 · 20256th 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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
Hidalgo County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hidalgo County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Hidalgo County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hidalgo County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 30.4% in 2010 to 31.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Hidalgo County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 27.8%
Biggest drop: 2015 to 2016, reaching 31.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hidalgo County, Texas.
How Hidalgo County has changed
Hidalgo County's population had its largest rise, from 653,779 in 2004 to 757,468 in 2009.
Hidalgo County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 914,820, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 864,302. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hidalgo County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Hidalgo County had its largest rise in the last span, from 257,279 in 2020 to 296,499 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Hidalgo County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 296,499, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 257,279. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hidalgo County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 22.5% | 2025 6.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 45.4% | 2024 24.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,428 | 2024 $55,829 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Hidalgo County's history
2012
Hail in March 2012 did $200 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in October 2015 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 870,781, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flash flood in July 2020 did $31.91 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flash flood in March 2025 did $52 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hidalgo County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hidalgo County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Hidalgo County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hidalgo County ranks 5th of the six; Brooks County is highest, at 46.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starr County, TX | 97 | 35.4% | 44.1% |
| Kenedy County, TX | 94 | 15.5% | 18.3% |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 91 | 24.2% | 31.6% |
| Cameron County, TX | 90 | 24.3% | 33.0% |
| Brooks County, TX | 90 | 30.6% | 46.9% |
| Willacy County, TX | 88 | 24.2% | 44.0% |
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 Hidalgo County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Hidalgo County's poverty rate was 24.2% in 2024, 11th 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, Hidalgo County ranks 13th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hidalgo 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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Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Texas RioGrande 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.