About one in three people with a credit file in McLennan County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In McLennan County, 35.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives McLennan County's score
In McLennan County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 82.4. About three in ten renters (28.3%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 73.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McLennan 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.
McLennan County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.5%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (90.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.3% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 73.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.6% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 58.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.2% · 202471st percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance14.2% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,096 · 202445th percentile
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- 58.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.1% · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people90.1 · 202531st percentile
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- 45.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th 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 McLennan 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 McLennan County, 15.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McLennan County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in McLennan County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 17.6% in 2004 to 21.9% in 2009.
In McLennan County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In McLennan County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McLennan County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (10.5% in 2009) to 12.0% in 2010.
The share of households in McLennan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 12.1%
Low on the chart: 10.5% 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, McLennan County, Texas.
How McLennan County has changed
McLennan County's population had its largest rise, from 243,765 in 2014 to 258,351 in 2019.
McLennan County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 270,358, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 187,791. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McLennan County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in McLennan County nearly doubled to 122,992, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 88,356. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McLennan County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.2% | 2024 16.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,571 | 2024 $68,096 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 McLennan County's history
1850
McLennan County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1850 out of Milam County. Wikipedia
1953
F5 tornado struck downtown Waco May 11, 1953, killing 114. Wikipedia
1953
A tornado in May 1953 did $25 million in property damage and killed 114 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1981
A tornado in October 1981 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in September 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in June 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 260,579, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McLennan County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
McLennan County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border McLennan County, four score higher. Of the group, McLennan County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Limestone County gets the largest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limestone County, TX | 80 | 14.8% | 32.4% |
| Hill County, TX | 79 | 15.7% | 28.5% |
| Bell County, TX | 78 | 13.8% | 24.0% |
| Coryell County, TX | 78 | 14.6% | 28.2% |
| McLennan County, TX | 73 | 16.2% | 21.9% |
| Falls County, TX | 66 | 18.7% | 31.5% |
| Bosque County, TX | 63 | 14.5% | 28.5% |
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 McLennan County the poorest county in Texas?
No, McLennan County's poverty rate was 16.2% in 2024, 85th 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, McLennan County ranks 95th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McLennan 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 McLennan 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 McLennan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.