About one in three people with a credit file in Lubbock County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Lubbock County, 35.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lubbock County's score
In Lubbock County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 84.1. About three in ten renters (29.4%, 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 79.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lubbock 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.
Lubbock County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.6%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (86.9, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.1 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 rent29.4% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
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- 79.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.2% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
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- 58.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.2% · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people86.9 · 202529th percentile
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- 58.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.4% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance13.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,512 · 202456th percentile
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- 38.1 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 working19.0% · 2020 to 202439th 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 Lubbock 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 Lubbock 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
Lubbock County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lubbock County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 20.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Lubbock County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lubbock County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.7% in 2011 to 12.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Lubbock County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 10.7% 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, Lubbock County, Texas.
How Lubbock County has changed
Lubbock County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 307,953 in 2019 to 327,394 in 2024.
Lubbock County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 327,394, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 222,932. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lubbock County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Lubbock County had its largest rise in the last span, from 137,688 in 2020 to 153,482 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Lubbock County rose by more than half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 153,482, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 122,737. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lubbock County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.5% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,428 | 2024 $64,512 |
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 Lubbock County's history
1876
The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1891. Wikipedia
1970
A tornado in May 1970 did $250 million in property damage and killed 26 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A thunderstorm in June 2013 did $400 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Hail in May 2015 did $200 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 310,639, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
Hail in May 2020 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lubbock County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lubbock County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Lubbock County, two score higher. Of the group, Lubbock County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Crosby County gets the largest, at 42.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crosby County, TX | 87 | 21.2% | 42.1% |
| Hale County, TX | 87 | 18.6% | 29.0% |
| Lubbock County, TX | 72 | 15.7% | 20.4% |
| Hockley County, TX | 71 | 15.8% | 27.2% |
| Lynn County, TX | 37 | 13.9% | 23.8% |
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 Lubbock County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Lubbock County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 99th 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, Lubbock County ranks 99th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lubbock 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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Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
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 Lubbock 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 Lubbock County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.