About one in 15 people in Kendall County, Texas, lives below the poverty line
In Kendall County, 6.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kendall County's score
In Kendall County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 54.1. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 11.2. About one in four people (27.3%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kendall 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.
Even so, Kendall County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (34.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.1 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent34.3% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.3% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
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- 43.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 29.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.9% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people98.9 · 202535th percentile
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- 20.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.5% · 20242nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.5% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability12.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance10.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$121,401 · 20241st percentile
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- 11.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.3% · second quarter of 20266th 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 Kendall 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 Kendall County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kendall County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kendall County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 13.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Kendall County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kendall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.1% in 2009 to 5.2% in 2010.
The share of households in Kendall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 4.5%
Low on the chart: 2.9% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Kendall County, Texas.
How Kendall County has changed
Kendall County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 43,728 in 2019 to 51,828 in 2024.
Kendall County's population grew to about eight times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 51,828, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 10,325. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kendall County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Kendall County had its largest rise in the last span, from 16,692 in 2020 to 20,676 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Kendall County grew to about six times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 20,676, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 10,654. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kendall County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.2% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.6% | 2024 6.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,436 | 2024 $121,401 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Kendall County's history
1861
Union League formed in 1861 by Unionists from Kerr, Gillespie, and Kendall Counties to support Lincoln. Wikipedia
2002
A flash flood in July 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in May 2007 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in May 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 44,279, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1978
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kendall County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kendall County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Kendall County, four score higher. Of the group, Kendall County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Bandera County gets the largest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bexar County, TX | 79 | 14.6% | 18.4% |
| Bandera County, TX | 49 | 11.0% | 27.7% |
| Kerr County, TX | 40 | 11.2% | 23.6% |
| Comal County, TX | 26 | 6.9% | 17.2% |
| Kendall County, TX | 18 | 6.5% | 13.4% |
| Gillespie County, TX | 18 | 8.2% | 18.5% |
| Blanco County, TX | 16 | 8.0% | 19.2% |
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 Kendall County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Kendall County's poverty rate was 6.5% in 2024, 249th 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, Kendall County ranks 250th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kendall 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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Texas RioGrande 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 Kendall 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 Kendall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.