About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Mills County, Texas, have a job
In Mills County, 12.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mills County's score
In Mills County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 63.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 20.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mills 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, Mills County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (9.4%, August 2025) and children below the poverty line (23.4%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.4% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability16.1% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- People without health insurance10.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,642 · 202465th percentile
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- 54.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.3% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.4% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.4% · second quarter of 202668th percentile
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- 38.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.8% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people66 · 202517th percentile
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- 22.2 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 rent3.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
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- 20.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202631st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.8% · 2020 to 20248th 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 Mills 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 Mills County, 25.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mills County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mills County had its largest rise, from 27.2% in 2004 to 33.7% in 2009.
In Mills County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 34.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Mills County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mills County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.5% in 2019 to 10.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Mills County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2016, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 5.5% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mills County, Texas.
How Mills County has changed
Mills County's population had its largest rise, from 4,346 in 1979 to 4,715 in 1984.
Mills County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 5,117 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mills County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Mills County had its largest drop, from 1,631 in 2005 to 1,371 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Mills County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 1,631 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mills County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.9% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,913 | 2024 $61,642 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Mills County's history
1887
Mills County was established on March 15, 1887, by Governor L.S. 'Sul' Ross approving H.S.S.B. No. 85, which carved Mills County out of parts of Brown, Comanche, Hamilton, and Lampasas Counties. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 9,694. The 2020 Census counted 4,456, 46% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A flash flood in February 1997 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1990
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mills County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mills County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Mills County score higher than it does. Of the group, Mills County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (34.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, TX | 86 | 16.7% | 33.5% |
| Hamilton County, TX | 57 | 13.7% | 24.2% |
| Lampasas County, TX | 52 | 11.1% | 29.1% |
| Comanche County, TX | 48 | 14.5% | 28.7% |
| San Saba County, TX | 47 | 15.0% | 34.3% |
| Mills County, TX | 32 | 13.6% | 34.9% |
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 Mills County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Mills County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 160th 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, Mills County ranks 228th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mills 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.
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 Mills County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.