About one in three people with a credit file in Johnson County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Johnson County, 34.8% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Johnson County's score
In Johnson County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 79.2. Housing costs come next, at 73.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Johnson 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.
Johnson County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (7.9%, 2024) and children below the poverty line (9.5%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.8% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people192.7 · 202572nd percentile
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- 73.3 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 rent21.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 72.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.9% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 44.8 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 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.9% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 28.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.9% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.5% · 202410th percentile
- People with a disability12.4% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance16.3% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$86,537 · 202413th 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County, 14.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Johnson County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Johnson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Johnson County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 9.4% in 2010 to 10.5% in 2011; 11.7% in 2015 to 10.6% in 2016.
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.2% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Johnson County, Texas.
How Johnson County has changed
Johnson County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 177,062 in 2019 to 210,547 in 2024.
Johnson County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 210,547, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 157,224. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Johnson County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Johnson County had its largest rise in the last span, from 48,344 in 2020 to 60,969 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Johnson County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 60,969, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 48,344. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Johnson County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.9% | 2024 7.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,495 | 2024 $86,537 |
The table uses 3.7% 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 Johnson County's history
1854
Founded in 1854. Wikipedia
1900
Texas State Federation of Labor organized in Cleburne. Wikipedia
1912
Johnson County Courthouse burned down on same day as Titanic sank. Wikipedia
1973
GOEX munitions plant explosion killed 4 and injured 35. Wikipedia
1976
Tornadoes touched down northwest of Cleburne causing rural damage. Wikipedia
1989
Santa Fe shops closed in 1989 ending century of employment. Wikipedia
1989
A tornado in May 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in September 1993 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in April 2008 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A tornado in May 2013 did $124 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 179,927, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1989
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Johnson County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Johnson County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Johnson County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Johnson County ranks 5th of the eight; Hill County is highest, at 28.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hill County, TX | 79 | 15.7% | 28.5% |
| Tarrant County, TX | 71 | 11.5% | 13.4% |
| Johnson County, TX | 66 | 7.9% | 20.0% |
| Bosque County, TX | 63 | 14.5% | 28.5% |
| Ellis County, TX | 59 | 7.5% | 16.8% |
| Hood County, TX | 50 | 8.0% | 23.4% |
| Parker County, TX | 42 | 8.0% | 14.1% |
| Somervell County, TX | 12 | 9.7% | 21.5% |
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 Johnson County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Johnson County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 243rd 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, Johnson County ranks 129th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Johnson 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.
Download the CSV for Johnson 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 Johnson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.