About two in five people with a credit file in Jefferson County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Jefferson County, 39.6% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 86.7. Late payments on loans come next, at 82.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (15.0%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (109.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.6% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 82.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.1% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 81.8 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 rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.4% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 76.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.3% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.2% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance20.6% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,997 · 202470th percentile
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- 67.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.6% · August 202593rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people109.7 · 202541st 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 26.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.8% in 2015 to 16.2% in 2016.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 16.9%
Low on the chart: 15.4% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jefferson County, Texas.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest drop, from 255,996 in 1984 to 238,927 in 1989.
Jefferson County's population rose 4% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 256,808 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County rose 17% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 124,810. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.4% | 2024 21.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,718 | 2024 $59,997 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% 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 Jefferson County's history
1835
Established in 1835 as a municipality of Mexico; organized as a county in 1837 after Texas achieved independence as a republic. Wikipedia
1901
Oil discovered at nearby Spindletop on January 10, 1901, which became the first major oil field and one of the largest in American history. Wikipedia
1933
Lower Neches Valley Authority established by state legislature in 1933 based on irrigation and canal companies. Wikipedia
1957
A tornado in November 1957 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A tornado in August 2009 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in August 2017 did $3 billion in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in September 2019 did $300 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 256,526, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Jefferson County, in Texas and Louisiana, one scores higher. Of the group, Jefferson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (26.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty County, TX | 95 | 17.8% | 24.2% |
| Jefferson County, TX | 94 | 21.3% | 26.6% |
| Orange County, TX | 82 | 13.8% | 26.4% |
| Hardin County, TX | 60 | 10.8% | 24.1% |
| Chambers County, TX | 45 | 7.9% | 13.4% |
| Cameron Parish, LA | 38 | 12.9% | 16.0% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 21.3% in 2024, 28th 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, Jefferson County ranks 8th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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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Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.