About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Irion County, Texas, have a job
In Irion County, 11.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Irion County's score
In Irion County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 63.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 12.6. Almost no renters (0.0%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Irion 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.
Even so, Irion County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (14.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd 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 score38.7% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 55.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202524th percentile
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- 29.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.9% · 202414th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.1% · 202418th percentile
- People with a disability12.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance14.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$90,589 · 202410th percentile
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- 24.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.8% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
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- 12.6 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 rent0.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th 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 Irion 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 Irion County, 21.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Irion County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Irion County fell most sharply after its 2009 high, from 15.4% in 2009 to 9.2% in 2014.
In Irion County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 15.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Irion County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.2%; 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 Irion County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 3.9%
Low on the chart: 0.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Irion County, Texas.
How Irion County has changed
Irion County's population had its largest rise, from 1,339 in 1979 to 1,792 in 1984.
Irion County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 1,792 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Irion County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Irion County had its largest rise, from 534 in 2010 to 711 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Irion County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2000, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 369 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Irion County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.1% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 8.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,325 | 2024 $90,589 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Irion County's history
1889
Texas Legislature formed Irion County from Tom Green County in 1889. Wikipedia
1928
Oil discovered in Irion County. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 2,049. The 2020 Census counted 1,513, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A thunderstorm in May 1996 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Hail in May 2006 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Irion County. FEMA
Irion County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Irion County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Irion County ranks 4th of the five; Schleicher County is highest, at 27.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schleicher County, TX | 67 | 15.4% | 27.1% |
| Tom Green County, TX | 66 | 11.5% | 20.5% |
| Reagan County, TX | 47 | 10.1% | 15.0% |
| Crockett County, TX | 33 | 14.7% | 23.8% |
| Irion County, TX | 27 | 8.9% | 15.2% |
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 Irion County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Irion County's poverty rate was 8.9% in 2024, 234th 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, Irion County ranks 239th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Irion 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.
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 Irion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.