About two in five people with a credit file in Kleberg County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Kleberg County, 44.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kleberg County's score
In Kleberg County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 94.0. About three in ten renters (29.5%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 82.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kleberg 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.
Kleberg County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (43.2, 2025) and people with a disability (13.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.0 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 rent29.5% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.3% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 82.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.5% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score57.4% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 74.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.4% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.0% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance16.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,810 · 202476th percentile
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- 67.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.7% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 52.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector44.2% · August 202597th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43.2 · 20257th 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 Kleberg 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 Kleberg County, 13.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kleberg County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kleberg County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 28.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Kleberg County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 28.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kleberg County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.8% in 2021 to 20.8% in 2022.
The share of households in Kleberg County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 14.8% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Kleberg County, Texas.
How Kleberg County has changed
Kleberg County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 34,975 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kleberg County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Kleberg County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 12,194, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
High on the chart: 12,544 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kleberg County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.6% | 2024 21.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,461 | 2024 $57,810 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Kleberg County's history
1913
Organized in 1913. Wikipedia
1942
Naval Air Station Kingsville opened. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 33,358. The 2020 Census counted 31,040, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
1986
A thunderstorm in May 1986 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
Kingsville Dome uranium mine operated 1989-2009. Wikipedia
1994
A thunderstorm in April 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A tornado in May 2016 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A thunderstorm in May 2016 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kleberg County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kleberg County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Kleberg County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kleberg County ranks 3rd of the five; Brooks County is highest, at 46.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Wells County, TX | 95 | 22.8% | 36.3% |
| Kenedy County, TX | 94 | 15.5% | 18.3% |
| Brooks County, TX | 90 | 30.6% | 46.9% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 89 | 21.4% | 28.0% |
| Nueces County, TX | 84 | 15.3% | 24.0% |
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 Kleberg County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Kleberg County's poverty rate was 21.4% in 2024, 27th 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, Kleberg County ranks 20th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kleberg 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 Kleberg 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 Kleberg County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.