In Montgomery County, Texas, benefit checks make up only 12 cents of every dollar of income
In Montgomery County, 12.1% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 54.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 26.7. About one in 10 people (10.5%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montgomery 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, Montgomery County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (15.1%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202661st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.3% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
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- 54.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.7% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people118.1 · 202545th percentile
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- 53.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.1% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 52.0 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 rent22.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 26.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.1% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.5% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability10.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance15.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$96,049 · 20247th 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, 13.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montgomery County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Montgomery County had its largest rise, from 7.1% in 1984 to 8.9% in 1989.
In Montgomery County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 12.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Montgomery County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.6% in 2010 to 6.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 6.6%
Low on the chart: 5.0% 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, Montgomery County, Texas.
How Montgomery County has changed
Montgomery County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 606,189 in 2019 to 749,613 in 2024.
Montgomery County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 749,613, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 175,584. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montgomery County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County had its largest rise in the last span, from 186,567 in 2020 to 235,441 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County grew to about six times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 235,441, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 55,200. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montgomery County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 9.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,540 | 2024 $96,049 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Montgomery County's history
1837
The county was created by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 14, 1837. Wikipedia
1931
Conroe Oil Field discovered in 1931 by George W. Strake. Wikipedia
2017
A flash flood in August 2017 did $7 billion in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in September 2019 did $190 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 620,443, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A thunderstorm in May 2023 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A thunderstorm in May 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Montgomery County score higher than it does. Of the group, Montgomery County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; San Jacinto County gets the largest, at 29.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty County, TX | 95 | 17.8% | 24.2% |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 84 | 16.8% | 29.1% |
| Harris County, TX | 83 | 16.7% | 12.1% |
| Walker County, TX | 79 | 23.3% | 27.2% |
| Grimes County, TX | 70 | 15.0% | 27.5% |
| Waller County, TX | 68 | 13.6% | 17.3% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 46 | 9.1% | 12.1% |
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 Montgomery County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 9.1% in 2024, 232nd 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, Montgomery County ranks 194th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.