Unemployment in Jeff Davis County, Texas, is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties
In Jeff Davis County, 4.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jeff Davis County's score
In Jeff Davis County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 72.6. About one in two people (46.5%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 71% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 63.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jeff Davis 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.
Jeff Davis County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (8.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.6 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 score46.5% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
-
- 63.9 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 rent44.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.1% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
-
- 57.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.4% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people107.8 · 202540th percentile
-
- 56.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability17.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- People without health insurance14.5% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,735 · 202446th percentile
-
- 41.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working8.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
-
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 Jeff Davis 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 Jeff Davis County, 33.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jeff Davis County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jeff Davis County had its largest rise, from 16.1% in 2004 to 21.2% in 2009.
In Jeff Davis County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Jeff Davis County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jeff Davis County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.8% in 2018 to 14.6% in 2019.
The share of households in Jeff Davis County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 5.5%
Low on the chart: 5.1% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jeff Davis County, Texas.
How Jeff Davis County has changed
Jeff Davis County's population had its largest drop in the last span, from 2,060 in 2019 to 1,778 in 2024.
Jeff Davis County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 2,326 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jeff Davis County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Jeff Davis County had its largest rise, from 612 in 1995 to 895 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Jeff Davis County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 1,000 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jeff Davis County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.0% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,728 | 2024 $67,735 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Jeff Davis County's history
1854
Fort Davis established on San Antonio-El Paso Road. Wikipedia
1887
Founded in 1887. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 2,375. The 2020 Census counted 1,996, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in August 2021 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1998
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jeff Davis County. FEMA
Jeff Davis County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jeff Davis County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jeff Davis County ranks 2nd of the seven; Hudspeth County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reeves County, TX | 71 | 16.8% | 15.5% |
| Hudspeth County, TX | 68 | 30.2% | 32.5% |
| Culberson County, TX | 67 | 18.2% | 16.0% |
| Pecos County, TX | 65 | 17.3% | 24.4% |
| Jeff Davis County, TX | 63 | 12.8% | 25.2% |
| Presidio County, TX | 59 | 19.8% | 22.5% |
| Brewster County, TX | 25 | 15.1% | 20.6% |
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 Jeff Davis County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Jeff Davis County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 173rd 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, Jeff Davis County ranks 143rd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jeff Davis 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.
-
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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 Jeff Davis 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 Jeff Davis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.