About two in five people with a credit file in Navarro County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Navarro County, 39.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Navarro County's score
In Navarro County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 81.8. About one in two people (53.8%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 67.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Navarro 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.
Navarro County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.0%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (107.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.3% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score53.8% · second quarter of 202687th percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202679th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 66.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.2% · August 202593rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people107.8 · 202540th percentile
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- 65.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance18.4% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,263 · 202451st percentile
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- 38.3 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 rent14.0% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th 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 Navarro 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 Navarro County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Navarro County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Navarro County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 28.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Navarro County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Navarro County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.3% in 2012 to 17.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Navarro County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 12.6% 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, Navarro County, Texas.
How Navarro County has changed
Navarro County's population had its largest rise, from 34,427 in 1979 to 39,095 in 1984.
Navarro County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 56,533, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 39,965. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Navarro County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Navarro County rose 36% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 15,075. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Navarro County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.2% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,022 | 2024 $66,263 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Navarro County's history
1846
Formed from Robertson County in 1846. Wikipedia
1894
Oil accidentally discovered June 1894 by American Well and Prospecting Company. Wikipedia
1895
First commercially significant oilfield in Texas opened October 1895 by Corsicana Oil Development Company. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 60,507. The 2020 Census counted 52,624, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1986
Wolf Brand Chili manufacturing ceased 1986, operated in Corsicana since 1895. Wikipedia
1997
A thunderstorm in March 1997 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Tradewest offices closed by Midway in late 2002. Wikipedia
2004
A flash flood in May 2004 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in March 2007 did $19 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in October 2015 did $1 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Navarro County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Navarro County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Navarro County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Navarro County ranks 3rd of the six; Limestone County is highest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson County, TX | 90 | 15.9% | 30.4% |
| Limestone County, TX | 80 | 14.8% | 32.4% |
| Hill County, TX | 79 | 15.7% | 28.5% |
| Navarro County, TX | 73 | 14.5% | 28.6% |
| Freestone County, TX | 64 | 12.7% | 28.1% |
| Ellis County, TX | 59 | 7.5% | 16.8% |
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 Navarro County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Navarro County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 133rd 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, Navarro County ranks 98th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Navarro 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 Navarro 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 Navarro County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.