About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Jack County, Texas, is not working
In Jack County, 33.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jack County's score
In Jack County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.8. Late payments on loans come next, at 66.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jack 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.
Jack County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.0%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (67.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 66.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.2% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability11.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance18.0% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,398 · 202447th percentile
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- 50.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.2% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people67.6 · 202518th percentile
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- 43.7 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 rent20.4% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd 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 Jack 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 Jack County, 16.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jack County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jack County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Jack County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jack County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2018 low, from 6.4% in 2018 to 9.4% in 2019.
The share of households in Jack County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 6.4% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jack County, Texas.
How Jack County has changed
Jack County's population had its largest rise, from 7,362 in 1994 to 8,644 in 1999.
Jack County's population rose 40% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 9,398 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jack County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Jack County had its largest drop, from 3,313 in 2015 to 2,446 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Jack County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 3,313 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jack County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.9% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,768 | 2024 $67,398 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Jack County's history
1870
Fort Richardson built and garrisoned to protect against Native American raids. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 11,817. The 2020 Census counted 8,472, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A coastal flood in October 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
EF3 tornado struck Jacksboro damaging around 80 homes. Wikipedia
2025
A thunderstorm in March 2025 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jack County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jack County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Jack County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jack County ranks 4th of the eight; Montague County is highest, at 33.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montague County, TX | 80 | 13.4% | 33.9% |
| Palo Pinto County, TX | 80 | 16.0% | 26.4% |
| Jack County, TX | 67 | 14.3% | 25.1% |
| Young County, TX | 47 | 13.7% | 24.6% |
| Clay County, TX | 45 | 11.0% | 25.2% |
| Parker County, TX | 42 | 8.0% | 14.1% |
| Wise County, TX | 38 | 8.1% | 18.6% |
| Archer County, TX | 23 | 9.2% | 17.8% |
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 Jack County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Jack County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 141st 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, Jack County ranks 117th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jack 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 Jack County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.