About three in ten people in Hudspeth County, Texas, live below the poverty line
In Hudspeth County, 30.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hudspeth County's score
In Hudspeth County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 94.0. Late payments on loans come next, at 82.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hudspeth 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.
Hudspeth County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (11.9%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (6.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line30.2% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line29.7% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability27.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance31.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,355 · 202493rd percentile
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- 82.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.6% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.4% · second quarter of 202680th percentile
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- 54.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector45.4% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people58 · 202513th 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 rent6.8% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.2% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 28.0 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 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.9% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Hudspeth 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 Hudspeth County, 10.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hudspeth County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hudspeth County rose most in two steps: 12.9% in 1989 to 21.2% in 1994; 20.5% in 2004 to 28.8% in 2009.
In Hudspeth County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 32.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Hudspeth County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 32.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Hudspeth County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 20.5%
Biggest drop: 2022 to 2023, reaching 25.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hudspeth County, Texas.
How Hudspeth County has changed
Hudspeth County's population rose 43% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2009 to 2014, reaching 2,573. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hudspeth County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Hudspeth County had its largest rise, from 798 in 2005 to 1,171 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Hudspeth County was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 1,442 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hudspeth County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.7% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 33.6% | 2024 30.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,564 | 2024 $48,355 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Hudspeth County's history
1858
Fort Quitman established for protection of travelers. Wikipedia
1917
Formed in 1917 from El Paso County. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 4,298. The 2020 Census counted 3,202, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
1992
Sewage sludge dump operated near Sierra Blanca discontinued after local complaints. Wikipedia
1992
County accepted over 200 tons per day of treated sewage from New York City. Wikipedia
2017
Hail in April 2017 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hudspeth County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hudspeth County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Hudspeth County, in Texas and New Mexico, two score higher. Of the group, Hudspeth County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (32.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso County, TX | 89 | 18.1% | 24.6% |
| Otero County, NM | 75 | 19.3% | 30.7% |
| Hudspeth County, TX | 68 | 30.2% | 32.5% |
| Culberson County, TX | 67 | 18.2% | 16.0% |
| Jeff Davis County, TX | 63 | 12.8% | 25.2% |
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 Hudspeth County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Hudspeth County's poverty rate was 30.2% in 2024, 4th 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, Hudspeth County ranks 114th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hudspeth 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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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 Hudspeth 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 Hudspeth County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.