About one in three people with a credit file in Kaufman County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Kaufman County, 36.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kaufman County's score
In Kaufman County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 88.1. Housing costs come next, at 82.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kaufman 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.
Kaufman County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.1%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($90,670, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.1% · August 202588th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people272.5 · 202587th percentile
-
- 82.0 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 rent24.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.9% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
-
- 77.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.1% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.6% · second quarter of 202671st percentile
-
- 55.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.0% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
-
- 28.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.5% · 202411th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.2% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance15.0% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$90,670 · 202410th 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 Kaufman 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 Kaufman County, 10.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kaufman County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Kaufman County had its largest drop, from 18.2% in 1994 to 14.9% in 1999.
In Kaufman County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 16.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Kaufman County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kaufman County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.6% in 2010 to 10.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Kaufman County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 9.9%
Low on the chart: 9.4% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Kaufman County, Texas.
How Kaufman County has changed
Kaufman County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 139,903 in 2019 to 197,829 in 2024.
Kaufman County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 197,829, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 37,555. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kaufman County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Kaufman County had its largest rise in the last span, from 32,510 in 2020 to 45,719 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Kaufman County more than tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 45,719, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 25,926. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kaufman County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.3% | 2024 8.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,152 | 2024 $90,670 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Kaufman County's history
1848
February 26, 1848 (created) August 7, 1848 (organized). Wikipedia
1970
A tornado in April 1970 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A thunderstorm in March 1997 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in June 2010 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in April 2012 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 145,310, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1989
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kaufman County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kaufman County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Kaufman County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kaufman County ranks 5th of the seven; Henderson County is highest, at 30.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson County, TX | 90 | 15.9% | 30.4% |
| Dallas County, TX | 79 | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| Hunt County, TX | 78 | 11.1% | 22.7% |
| Kaufman County, TX | 77 | 8.5% | 16.5% |
| Van Zandt County, TX | 66 | 13.0% | 27.6% |
| Ellis County, TX | 59 | 7.5% | 16.8% |
| Rockwall County, TX | 31 | 5.5% | 11.2% |
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 Kaufman County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Kaufman County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 236th 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, Kaufman County ranks 82nd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kaufman 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.
-
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
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 Kaufman 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 Kaufman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.