Unemployment in Maverick County, Texas, is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Maverick County, 8.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Maverick County's score
In Maverick County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.5. About three in five people (60.4%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 92.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Maverick 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.
Maverick County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (26, 2025) and people with a disability (12.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.8% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.6% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score60.4% · second quarter of 202696th percentile
-
- 92.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year8.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202699th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.3% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
-
- 78.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.8% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line31.1% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance23.4% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,787 · 202490th percentile
-
- 56.0 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 rent15.4% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
-
- 49.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector43.4% · August 202597th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people26 · 20251st percentile
-
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 Maverick 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 Maverick County, 12.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Maverick County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Maverick County made its largest gain on the way to its 1994 high, from 26.7% in 1989 to 35.1% in 1994.
In Maverick County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 34.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Maverick County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Maverick County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 30.9% in 2019 to 26.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Maverick County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 28.7%
Low on the chart: 25.9% 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, Maverick County, Texas.
How Maverick County has changed
Maverick County's population had its largest rise, from 21,630 in 1974 to 29,754 in 1979.
Maverick County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 58,829, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 35,622. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Maverick County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Maverick County more than doubled to 18,991, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 16,188. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Maverick County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 30.3% | 2025 9.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 48.0% | 2024 21.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $13,102 | 2024 $50,787 |
The table uses 9.4% for 2025; the score uses 8.5% 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 Maverick County's history
1871
The county was created in 1856 and organized in 1871. Wikipedia
2004
A flash flood in October 2004 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in April 2007 did $80 million in property damage and killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in October 2015 did $1 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 57,887, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A flash flood in May 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1990
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Maverick County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Maverick County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Maverick County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Maverick County ranks 3rd of the five; Zavala County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimmit County, TX | 95 | 28.5% | 32.8% |
| Zavala County, TX | 94 | 25.7% | 39.7% |
| Maverick County, TX | 89 | 21.8% | 34.4% |
| Webb County, TX | 87 | 20.6% | 24.6% |
| Kinney County, TX | 53 | 20.7% | 35.5% |
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 Maverick County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Maverick County's poverty rate was 21.8% in 2024, 26th 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, Maverick County ranks 22nd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Maverick 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.
-
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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 Maverick 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 Maverick County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.