About one in five people in Motley County, Texas, has a disability
In Motley County, 22.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Motley County's score
In Motley County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 90.5. About one in three children (34.0%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Motley 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.
Motley County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.4% · 202485th percentile
- Children below the poverty line34.0% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability22.3% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance20.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,542 · 202487th percentile
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- 71.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 66.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.3% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 55.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202524th percentile
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- 44.0 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 rent11.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.2% · fiscal year 202772nd 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 Motley 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 Motley County, 29.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Motley County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Motley County had its largest rise, from 23.9% in 2004 to 34.6% in 2009.
In Motley County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 39% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Motley County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Motley County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.8% in 2021 to 6.7% in 2022.
The share of households in Motley County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 3.1% 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, Motley County, Texas.
How Motley County has changed
Motley County's population had its largest drop, from 2,120 in 1969 to 1,868 in 1974.
Motley County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,015, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2014 to 2019, reaching 1,083. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Motley County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Motley County had its largest drop, from 385 in 2010 to 310 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Motley County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 385 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Motley County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.9% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.9% | 2024 19.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,707 | 2024 $52,542 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Motley County's history
1876
Created in 1876, organized in 1891. Wikipedia
1882
Matador Ranch consolidated in 1882 by a Scottish syndicate. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 6,812. The 2020 Census counted 1,063, 16% of the peak. Census Bureau
1951
Matador Ranch liquidated in 1951. Wikipedia
1984
A tornado in May 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A tornado in June 2023 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1986
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Motley County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Motley County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Motley County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Motley County ranks 3rd of the six; Hall County is highest, at 40.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dickens County, TX | 83 | 17.8% | 39.1% |
| Floyd County, TX | 77 | 17.3% | 35.8% |
| Motley County, TX | 76 | 19.4% | 36.3% |
| Cottle County, TX | 72 | 19.0% | 17.1% |
| Hall County, TX | 66 | 22.1% | 40.4% |
| Briscoe County, TX | 55 | 14.7% | 27.6% |
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 Motley County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Motley County's poverty rate was 19.4% in 2024, 43rd 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, Motley County ranks 86th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Motley 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 Motley 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 Motley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.