About two in five people with a credit file in Nolan County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Nolan County, 36.8% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Nolan County's score
In Nolan County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 87.4. About three in five people (58.2%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 82.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Nolan 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.
Nolan County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (83.9, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.8% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.2% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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- 82.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.7% · 202486th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.7% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability19.7% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance13.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,566 · 202476th percentile
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- 68.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202652nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.8% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 58.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.8% · August 202589th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people83.9 · 202527th percentile
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- 55.0 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 rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th 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 Nolan 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 Nolan County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Nolan County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Nolan County had its largest rise, from 19.1% in 1989 to 24.0% in 1994.
In Nolan County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Nolan County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Nolan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.2% in 2020 to 17.5% in 2021.
The share of households in Nolan County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 19.7%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 12.3% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Nolan County, Texas.
How Nolan County has changed
Nolan County's population had its largest rise, from 16,194 in 1974 to 17,314 in 1979.
Nolan County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 17,930 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Nolan County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Nolan County made its largest gain on the way to its 2020 high, from 6,082 in 2015 to 6,246 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Nolan County rose 7% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 6,246 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Nolan County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.7% | 2024 19.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,119 | 2024 $57,566 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Nolan County's history
1876
Created in 1876, organized in 1881. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 19,808. The 2020 Census counted 14,738, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
1950
International Harvester Company factory operated 1920-1950. Wikipedia
1986
EF3 tornado swept through town April 19, 1986 causing extensive damage. Wikipedia
1986
A tornado in April 1986 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Hail in May 2002 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A tornado in March 2020 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A thunderstorm in August 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1980
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Nolan County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Nolan County beside its neighbors
Nolan County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Nolan County ranks 5th of the six; Coke County is highest, at 33.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nolan County, TX | 84 | 19.7% | 27.9% |
| Taylor County, TX | 67 | 14.8% | 22.7% |
| Mitchell County, TX | 62 | 22.1% | 29.7% |
| Runnels County, TX | 55 | 17.8% | 32.5% |
| Coke County, TX | 50 | 15.0% | 33.1% |
| Fisher County, TX | 46 | 14.9% | 28.9% |
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 Nolan County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Nolan County's poverty rate was 19.7% in 2024, 41st 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, Nolan County ranks 44th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Nolan 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 Nolan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.