In Martin County, Texas, benefit checks make up only 11 cents of every dollar of income
In Martin County, 11.0% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Martin County's score
In Martin County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 71.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 29.1. Unemployment averaged 3.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Martin 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, Martin County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (17.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (33.0%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.4% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.0% · August 202581st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people38.3 · 20255th percentile
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- 42.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.6% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability12.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance17.1% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,154 · 202412th percentile
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- 42.4 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 rent6.2% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202618th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th 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 Martin 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 Martin County, 10.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Martin County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Martin County rose most sharply after its 1979 low, from 6.0% in 1979 to 14.1% in 1984.
In Martin County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 11.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Martin County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Martin County getting SNAP food aid fell most in two steps: 5.6% in 2016 to 2.6% in 2017; 13.4% in 2022 to 10.4% in 2023.
The share of households in Martin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 2.6% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Martin County, Texas.
How Martin County has changed
Martin County's population rose 10% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 5,426 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Martin County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Martin County more than doubled to 2,728, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 2,728. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Martin County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.7% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.2% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,240 | 2024 $88,154 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Martin County's history
1876
The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1884. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 5,785. The 2020 Census counted 5,237, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1992
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Martin County. FEMA
Martin County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Martin County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Martin County ranks 5th of the seven; Dawson County is highest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, TX | 82 | 20.1% | 27.7% |
| Howard County, TX | 64 | 15.4% | 19.2% |
| Midland County, TX | 53 | 11.2% | 5.6% |
| Andrews County, TX | 48 | 10.5% | 14.9% |
| Martin County, TX | 43 | 12.1% | 11.0% |
| Gaines County, TX | 33 | 12.2% | 14.2% |
| Glasscock County, TX | 26 | 8.2% | 5.7% |
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 Martin County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Martin County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 186th 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, Martin County ranks 204th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Martin 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 Martin 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 Martin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.