About two in five people with a credit file in Howard County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Howard County, 42.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Howard County's score
In Howard County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.4. About three in five people (58.2%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 65.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Howard 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.
Howard County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (11.2%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (49.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.5% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.2% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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- 65.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.6% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability17.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- People without health insurance13.6% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,932 · 202452nd percentile
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- 54.6 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 rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.2% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
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- 52.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.0% · August 202596th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people49.1 · 20259th percentile
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- 29.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.2% · 2020 to 20244th 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 Howard 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 Howard County, 13.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Howard County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Howard County had its largest drop, from 24.4% in 2009 to 19.3% in 2014.
In Howard County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Howard County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Howard County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.9% in 2009 to 10.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Howard County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.4%, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 8.5% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Howard County, Texas.
How Howard County has changed
Howard County's population fell by about a quarter to 30,833, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
Biggest drop: 1974 to 1979, reaching 33,385. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Howard County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Howard County made its largest gain on the way to its 2015 high, from 12,078 in 2010 to 12,840 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Howard County rose 10% from 1990 to 2020, then turned down in 2025
High on the chart: 12,840 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Howard County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.5% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,456 | 2024 $65,932 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Howard County's history
1876
Created in 1876, organized in 1882. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 40,139. The 2020 Census counted 34,860, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1995
Hail in April 1995 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
Hail in May 1996 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in March 2000 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A thunderstorm in June 2025 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Howard County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Howard County beside its neighbors
Howard County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Howard County ranks 2nd of the six; Mitchell County is highest, at 29.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard County, TX | 64 | 15.4% | 19.2% |
| Mitchell County, TX | 62 | 22.1% | 29.7% |
| Sterling County, TX | 49 | 10.8% | 16.4% |
| Martin County, TX | 43 | 12.1% | 11.0% |
| Borden County, TX | 34 | 10.2% | 6.3% |
| Glasscock County, TX | 26 | 8.2% | 5.7% |
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 Howard County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Howard County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 105th 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, Howard County ranks 135th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.