About two in five people with a credit file in Hockley County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Hockley County, 41.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hockley County's score
In Hockley County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 83.5. About one in two people (54.0%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 68.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hockley 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.
Hockley County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (83.9, 2025) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.8%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.0% · second quarter of 202687th percentile
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- 68.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.8% · 202469th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.8% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability15.8% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- People without health insurance19.1% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,664 · 202456th percentile
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- 61.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.0% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people83.9 · 202527th percentile
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- 54.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 45.0 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 rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th 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 Hockley 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 Hockley County, 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hockley County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hockley County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Hockley County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hockley County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.5% in 2018 to 12.9% in 2019.
The share of households in Hockley County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 12.0%
Low on the chart: 12.0% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hockley County, Texas.
How Hockley County has changed
Hockley County's population had its largest rise, from 22,703 in 1979 to 25,285 in 1984.
Hockley County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 25,285 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hockley County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Hockley County had its largest drop, from 10,327 in 2015 to 8,654 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Hockley County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 10,327 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hockley County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.4% | 2024 15.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,559 | 2024 $64,664 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Hockley County's history
1876
Created in 1876, not organized until 1921. Wikipedia
1958
South Plains College opened. Wikipedia
1970
A tornado in April 1970 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
A tornado in April 1970 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 24,199. The 2020 Census counted 21,537, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
Hail in May 1999 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in May 2024 did $35 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hockley County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hockley County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Hockley County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hockley County ranks 3rd of the five; Terry County is highest, at 31.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry County, TX | 84 | 19.8% | 31.2% |
| Cochran County, TX | 79 | 20.8% | 27.4% |
| Lubbock County, TX | 72 | 15.7% | 20.4% |
| Hockley County, TX | 71 | 15.8% | 27.2% |
| Lamb County, TX | 64 | 17.2% | 23.0% |
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 Hockley County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Hockley County's poverty rate was 15.8% in 2024, 97th 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, Hockley County ranks 101st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hockley 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 Hockley 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 Hockley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.