About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Montague County, Texas, is not working
In Montague County, 32.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montague County's score
In Montague County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 77.7. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montague 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.
Montague County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (111.1, 2025) and children below the poverty line (15.6%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.7 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 202661st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.8% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 71.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.5% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.4% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 64.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.3% · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people111.1 · 202541st percentile
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- 63.6 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 rent24.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
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- 61.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.6% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance14.5% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,975 · 202455th 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 Montague 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 Montague County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montague County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Montague County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 28% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Montague County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Montague County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.1% in 2020 to 8.8% in 2021.
The share of households in Montague County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.3% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Montague County, Texas.
How Montague County has changed
Montague County's population rose by about half to 21,890, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 21,890. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montague County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Montague County had its largest drop, from 5,355 in 2015 to 4,596 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Montague County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 5,355 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montague County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,015 | 2024 $64,975 |
The table uses 4.3% 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 Montague County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 25,123. The 2020 Census counted 19,965, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1995
A tornado in May 1995 did $2 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in April 2009 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A flash flood in May 2020 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A thunderstorm in May 2020 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1981
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montague County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montague County beside its neighbors
Montague County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Texas and Oklahoma. For the share of income from benefit checks, Montague County ranks 2nd of the seven; Jefferson County is highest, at 40.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montague County, TX | 80 | 13.4% | 33.9% |
| Jefferson County, OK | 75 | 19.0% | 40.9% |
| Love County, OK | 68 | 15.1% | 30.5% |
| Jack County, TX | 67 | 14.3% | 25.1% |
| Cooke County, TX | 50 | 11.2% | 20.6% |
| Clay County, TX | 45 | 11.0% | 25.2% |
| Wise County, TX | 38 | 8.1% | 18.6% |
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 Montague County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Montague County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 165th 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, Montague County ranks 63rd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montague 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 Montague 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 Montague County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.