Benefit checks make up 41 cents of every dollar of income in Marion County, Texas
In Marion County, 41.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marion County's score
In Marion County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 90.3. About one in three children (33.0%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 89.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marion 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.
Marion County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.0% · 202489th percentile
- Children below the poverty line33.0% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability22.0% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance14.3% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,632 · 202490th 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 year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.6% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 79.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.5% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people177.6 · 202569th percentile
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- 65.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.6% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
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- 62.7 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 rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.7% · fiscal year 202781st 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 Marion 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 Marion County, 26.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marion County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Marion County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 41.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Marion County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.2% in 2019 to 23.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 20.5%
Low on the chart: 13.1% 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, Marion County, Texas.
How Marion County has changed
Marion County's population had its largest rise, from 8,918 in 1974 to 10,102 in 1979.
Marion County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 11,004 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marion County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Marion County rose 13% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 2,203 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marion County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 30.1% | 2024 21.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,029 | 2024 $50,632 |
The table uses 5.8% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% 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 Marion County's history
1860
Formed from Cass County in 1860. Wikipedia
1924
Caddo Lake State Park first proposed in 1924, developed 1933-1937 with Civilian Conservation Corps. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 11,457. The 2020 Census counted 9,725, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1979
A tornado in April 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A thunderstorm in March 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marion County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marion County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Marion County, in Texas and Louisiana, one scores higher. Of the group, Marion County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (41.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caddo Parish, LA | 98 | 22.1% | 25.8% |
| Marion County, TX | 92 | 21.0% | 41.2% |
| Morris County, TX | 87 | 19.0% | 38.3% |
| Cass County, TX | 86 | 16.5% | 38.3% |
| Upshur County, TX | 75 | 13.7% | 29.2% |
| Harrison County, TX | 75 | 14.5% | 25.0% |
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 Marion County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Marion County's poverty rate was 21.0% in 2024, 30th 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, Marion County ranks 9th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.