About one in eight people in Lynn County, Texas, has a disability
In Lynn County, 12.2% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lynn County's score
In Lynn County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 57.1. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 11.5. About one in 14 renters (7.0%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lynn 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, Lynn County is worse off than most counties on people with a subprime credit score (52.2%, Q2 2026) and people without health insurance (12.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.2% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202632nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.3% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 50.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.9% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.6% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,687 · 202439th percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.5% · August 202578th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people34.7 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 11.5 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 rent7.0% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th 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 Lynn 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 Lynn County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lynn County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lynn County had its largest rise, from 17.1% in 2004 to 28.3% in 2009.
In Lynn County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Lynn County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lynn County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2021 low, from 15.8% in 2020 to 11.9% in 2021.
The share of households in Lynn County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 11.9% 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, Lynn County, Texas.
How Lynn County has changed
Lynn County's population had its largest drop, from 7,879 in 1984 to 6,900 in 1989.
Lynn County's population fell 39% from 1969 to 2019, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 9,175 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lynn County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lynn County rose 13% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 1,595 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lynn County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.6% | 2024 13.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,565 | 2024 $70,687 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Lynn County's history
1876
The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1903. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 12,372. The 2020 Census counted 5,596, 45% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
A thunderstorm in June 1999 did $1.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in May 2019 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1992
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lynn County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lynn County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lynn County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lynn County ranks 4th of the six; Terry County is highest, at 31.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry County, TX | 84 | 19.8% | 31.2% |
| Dawson County, TX | 82 | 20.1% | 27.7% |
| Lubbock County, TX | 72 | 15.7% | 20.4% |
| Garza County, TX | 70 | 17.2% | 29.4% |
| Lynn County, TX | 37 | 13.9% | 23.8% |
| Borden County, TX | 34 | 10.2% | 6.3% |
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 Lynn County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Lynn County's poverty rate was 13.9% in 2024, 150th 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, Lynn County ranks 219th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lynn 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.
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 Lynn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.