About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Medina County, Texas, is not working
In Medina County, 24.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Medina County's score
In Medina County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 67.5. Late payments on loans come next, at 64.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Medina 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.
Medina County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (15.3%, fiscal year 2027) and median household income ($96,423, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 64.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.2% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 55.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.9% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people107.7 · 202539th percentile
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- 44.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.4% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance11.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$96,423 · 20246th percentile
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- 31.5 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.3% · fiscal year 20274th 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 Medina 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 Medina County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Medina County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Medina County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Medina County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Medina County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.1% in 2010 to 15.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Medina County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 10.2% 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, Medina County, Texas.
How Medina County has changed
Medina County's population had its largest rise, from 31,725 in 1994 to 38,697 in 1999.
Medina County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 55,619, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 23,004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Medina County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Medina County doubled to 11,400, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 7,197. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Medina County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.0% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,177 | 2024 $96,423 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Medina County's history
1848
The Texas Legislature formed Medina County on February 12, 1848, and enlarged it on February 1, 1850, using land taken from Bexar County. Wikipedia
1975
A tornado in April 1975 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in June 1997 did $13 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in February 1998 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in October 2001 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 50,748, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Medina County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Medina County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Medina County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Medina County ranks 5th of the six; Uvalde County is highest, at 30.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uvalde County, TX | 86 | 19.5% | 30.5% |
| Frio County, TX | 84 | 27.0% | 28.6% |
| Atascosa County, TX | 82 | 15.9% | 25.7% |
| Bexar County, TX | 79 | 14.6% | 18.4% |
| Medina County, TX | 54 | 11.2% | 25.1% |
| Bandera County, TX | 49 | 11.0% | 27.7% |
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 Medina County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Medina County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 199th 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, Medina County ranks 166th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Medina 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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Texas RioGrande 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 Medina 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 Medina County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.