About two in five people with a credit file in Madison County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Madison County, 40.6% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 84.7. People with a credit card behind: 9.2%, August 2025, higher than in 91% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 63.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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.
Madison County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (5.4%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (58.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.2% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.7% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.1% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 63.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.8% · 202469th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.2% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance12.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,187 · 202463rd percentile
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- 54.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector40.6% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people58.2 · 202513th percentile
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- 53.8 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 rent21.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202737th percentile
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- 39.1 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 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working5.4% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Madison 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 Madison County, 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Madison County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 23.1% in 2004 to 31.2% in 2009.
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.4% in 2013 to 18.8% in 2014.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 10.6%
Low on the chart: 10.6% 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, Madison County, Texas.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population doubled to 13,877, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 11,788. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Madison County had its largest drop, from 5,215 in 2015 to 4,190 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Madison County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 5,215 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.3% | 2024 15.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,731 | 2024 $62,187 |
The table uses 4.5% 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 Madison County's history
1987
A tornado in November 1987 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 13,664. The 2020 Census counted 13,455, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2022
A tornado in March 2022 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flood in May 2024 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1987
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Madison County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 2nd of the six; Houston County is highest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston County, TX | 86 | 19.3% | 32.4% |
| Walker County, TX | 79 | 23.3% | 27.2% |
| Grimes County, TX | 70 | 15.0% | 27.5% |
| Madison County, TX | 64 | 15.8% | 29.4% |
| Leon County, TX | 57 | 14.2% | 29.0% |
| Brazos County, TX | 55 | 22.1% | 14.9% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 15.8% in 2024, 97th 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, Madison County ranks 138th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.