About two in five people with a credit file in Liberty County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Liberty County, 41.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Liberty County's score
In Liberty County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.0. People with a credit card behind: 9.9%, August 2025, higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 89.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Liberty 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.
Liberty County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (14.1%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (96.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.4% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.2% · second quarter of 202691st percentile
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- 89.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.4% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 85.5 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 rent23.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.1% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 69.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.8% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.0% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability14.1% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- People without health insurance26.2% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,378 · 202451st percentile
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- 64.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.0% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people96.1 · 202534th 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 Liberty 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 Liberty County, 11.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Liberty County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Liberty County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 19.7% in 2004 to 24.6% in 2009.
In Liberty County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 24.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Liberty County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Liberty County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.8% in 2016 to 18.7% in 2017.
The share of households in Liberty County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 16.6%
Low on the chart: 12.3% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Liberty County, Texas.
How Liberty County has changed
Liberty County's population more than tripled to 115,042, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 115,042. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Liberty County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Liberty County had its largest rise in the last span, from 17,630 in 2020 to 20,335 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Liberty County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 20,335, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 16,543. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Liberty County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.2% | 2024 17.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,047 | 2024 $66,378 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.7% 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 Liberty County's history
1831
Founded 1831 as municipality in Mexico by José Francisco Madero; organized as county of Republic of Texas in 1836. Wikipedia
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in May 2000 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in October 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in September 2019 did $95 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 91,628, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Liberty County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Liberty County beside its neighbors
Liberty County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Liberty County ranks 4th of the eight; Polk County is highest, at 40.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty County, TX | 95 | 17.8% | 24.2% |
| Jefferson County, TX | 94 | 21.3% | 26.6% |
| Polk County, TX | 89 | 14.5% | 40.5% |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 84 | 16.8% | 29.1% |
| Harris County, TX | 83 | 16.7% | 12.1% |
| Hardin County, TX | 60 | 10.8% | 24.1% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 46 | 9.1% | 12.1% |
| Chambers County, TX | 45 | 7.9% | 13.4% |
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 Liberty County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Liberty County's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 63rd 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, Liberty County ranks 3rd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Liberty 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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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 Liberty 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 Liberty County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.