Nueces County, Texas

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.1 | 352,289 people · 40th most distressed in Texas

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Nueces County, TX shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.1 — 209th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Texas, it ranks 40th of 254 counties. Among its 4 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Nueces County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 87.3 — worse than roughly 87% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 87.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 90
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 84
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 86
Homeownership Rate 93
Rent-to-Income Ratio 84
Debt & Delinquency 76.0
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 81
Student Loan Delinquency 91
Auto Loan Delinquency 82
Credit Card Delinquency 84
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 23
Income & Poverty 63.5
Poverty Rate 75
Income vs. State Median 37
Child Poverty Rate 79
Community Vulnerability 62.3
Uninsured Rate 93
Disability Rate 31
Employment & Wages 61.5
Unemployment Rate 64
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 66
Business Formation Rate 55

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Nueces County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Nueces County
Nueces County, TX 70.1 Serious
Jim Wells County, TX 78.1 Serious +8.0
Kleberg County, TX 75.5 Serious +5.4
San Patricio County, TX 73.3 Serious +3.2
Aransas County, TX 66.6 Serious -3.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Nueces County
Kern County, CA 69.1 Serious -1.0
Tulare County, CA 68.9 Serious -1.2
Baltimore city, MD 71.5 Serious +1.4
Marion County, FL 68.7 Serious -1.4
Clayton County, GA 71.5 Serious +1.4

Download Data

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Find Help in Nueces County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Nueces County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

Texas State Law Library — Foreclosure Research Guide Comprehensive guide to Texas foreclosure law with links to statutes, forms, and practice guides.
TexasLawHelp.org Free legal information and self-help resources for low-income Texans.

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