About two in five people with a credit file in McCulloch County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In McCulloch County, 41.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives McCulloch County's score
In McCulloch County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 87.8. Income and the safety net comes next, at 86.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McCulloch 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.
McCulloch County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.8%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (15.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind14.1% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.7% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.0% · second quarter of 202687th percentile
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- 86.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.2% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.2% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance19.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,639 · 202487th percentile
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- 67.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.0% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people107.4 · 202539th percentile
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- 50.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 49.0 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 rent11.8% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.3% · fiscal year 202780th 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 McCulloch 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 McCulloch County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McCulloch County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McCulloch County, benefit checks and pay from work brought in equal shares in 2024
In McCulloch County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McCulloch County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.6% in 2012 to 16.9% in 2013.
The share of households in McCulloch County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 12.3%
Low on the chart: 9.1% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McCulloch County, Texas.
How McCulloch County has changed
McCulloch County's population fell 17% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1989 and 1994
High on the chart: 9,064 in 1989. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McCulloch County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in McCulloch County had its largest drop, from 2,986 in 2015 to 2,388 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in McCulloch County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 2,986 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McCulloch County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.8% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.1% | 2024 18.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,442 | 2024 $52,639 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 McCulloch County's history
1831
Armed conflict near Brady on November 21, 1831; Caddo and Lipan warriors held at bay, 80 warriors killed. Wikipedia
1852
Camp San Saba established in 1852 to protect settlers from Indian raids. Wikipedia
1886
Swedish colonies of East Sweden, West Sweden and Melvin established 1886-1912. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 13,883. The 2020 Census counted 7,630, 55% of the peak. Census Bureau
1932
Colorado River flooded in 1932, cresting at 62.2 feet. Wikipedia
1938
Brady Creek flooded in 1938, cresting at 29.1 feet. Wikipedia
1943
County prisoner-of-war camp set up in 1943 to house Axis prisoners including Rommel's Afrika Corps. Wikipedia
2026
Lightning in May 2026 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McCulloch County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
McCulloch County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border McCulloch County, one scores higher. Of the group, McCulloch County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, TX | 86 | 16.7% | 33.5% |
| McCulloch County, TX | 80 | 18.2% | 38.8% |
| Coleman County, TX | 73 | 18.8% | 35.8% |
| Menard County, TX | 56 | 20.0% | 38.6% |
| Concho County, TX | 54 | 22.0% | 34.6% |
| San Saba County, TX | 47 | 15.0% | 34.3% |
| Mason County, TX | 25 | 11.2% | 28.4% |
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 McCulloch County the poorest county in Texas?
No, McCulloch County's poverty rate was 18.2% in 2024, 56th 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, McCulloch County ranks 61st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McCulloch 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 McCulloch 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 McCulloch County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.