About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Live Oak County, Texas, are not working
In Live Oak County, 39.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Live Oak County's score
In Live Oak County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.8. Late payments on loans come next, at 83.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Live Oak 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.
Live Oak County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (43.2, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working39.1% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 83.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.3% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score49.3% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 70.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.0% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.4% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability19.0% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance18.3% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,331 · 202451st percentile
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- 50.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.6% · August 202593rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43.2 · 20257th percentile
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- 44.2 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 rent17.1% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th 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 Live Oak 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 Live Oak 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
Live Oak County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Live Oak County had its largest rise, from 17.5% in 2014 to 23.5% in 2019.
In Live Oak County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 24.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Live Oak County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than 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 Live Oak County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2023 high, from 12.4% in 2022 to 16.9% in 2023.
The share of households in Live Oak County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2015, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 4.4% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Live Oak County, Texas.
How Live Oak County has changed
Live Oak County's population had its largest rise, from 6,928 in 1974 to 8,640 in 1979.
Live Oak County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11,967
High on the chart: 12,191 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Live Oak County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Live Oak County had its largest rise, from 3,015 in 2010 to 4,420 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Live Oak County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 4,420 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Live Oak County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.2% | 2024 18.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,067 | 2024 $66,331 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% 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 Live Oak County's history
1856
The county was created in 1856. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 12,309. The 2020 Census counted 11,335, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Live Oak County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Live Oak County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Live Oak County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Live Oak County ranks 6th of the eight; Duval County is highest, at 45.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Wells County, TX | 95 | 22.8% | 36.3% |
| Duval County, TX | 92 | 24.8% | 45.8% |
| Bee County, TX | 88 | 24.2% | 32.7% |
| San Patricio County, TX | 82 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Atascosa County, TX | 82 | 15.9% | 25.7% |
| Live Oak County, TX | 80 | 18.0% | 24.2% |
| Karnes County, TX | 73 | 19.4% | 16.2% |
| McMullen County, TX | 64 | 10.9% | 15.6% |
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 Live Oak County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Live Oak County's poverty rate was 18.0% in 2024, 61st 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, Live Oak County ranks 64th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Live Oak 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 Live Oak 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 Live Oak County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.