About two in five people with a credit file in Jasper County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Jasper County, 41.3% 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 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jasper County's score
In Jasper County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.5. Unemployment averaged 6.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 77.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jasper 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.
Jasper County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.2%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (94.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 77.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.1% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 67.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.2% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance18.8% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,743 · 202461st percentile
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- 64.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.3% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people94.8 · 202533rd percentile
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- 34.1 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 rent15.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.4% · fiscal year 202735th 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 Jasper 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 Jasper County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jasper County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jasper County rose most in two steps: 19.8% in 1989 to 24.1% in 1994; 22.5% in 1999 to 26.8% in 2004.
In Jasper County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 34.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Jasper County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jasper County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.3% in 2013 to 16.1% in 2014.
The share of households in Jasper County getting SNAP food aid fell by about a fifth from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.6%, with its low point on the chart in 2018
Low on the chart: 12.2% 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, Jasper County, Texas.
How Jasper County has changed
Jasper County's population had its largest rise, from 26,064 in 1974 to 29,861 in 1979.
Jasper County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32,907
High on the chart: 35,493 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jasper County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Jasper County rose most sharply from its first year (8,574 in 1990) to 11,012 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Jasper County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 11,012 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jasper County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 6.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.9% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,612 | 2024 $62,743 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Jasper County's history
1834
Created as municipality in Mexico in 1834, organized as county in 1837. Wikipedia
1999
A tornado in January 1999 did $1.25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 35,710. The 2020 Census counted 32,980, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A flash flood in March 2016 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in August 2017 did $85 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A thunderstorm in August 2017 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jasper County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jasper County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Jasper County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jasper County ranks 5th of the eight; Sabine County is highest, at 47.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Augustine County, TX | 92 | 20.4% | 39.7% |
| Tyler County, TX | 91 | 16.3% | 36.0% |
| Angelina County, TX | 83 | 12.7% | 29.1% |
| Orange County, TX | 82 | 13.8% | 26.4% |
| Newton County, TX | 81 | 17.5% | 34.6% |
| Jasper County, TX | 79 | 15.9% | 34.0% |
| Sabine County, TX | 67 | 15.9% | 47.7% |
| Hardin County, TX | 60 | 10.8% | 24.1% |
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 Jasper County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Jasper County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 93rd 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, Jasper County ranks 71st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jasper 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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Lone Star 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 Jasper 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 Jasper County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.