About one in three people with a credit file in Panola County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Panola County, 36.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Panola County's score
In Panola County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 80.3. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 72.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Panola 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.
Panola County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (9.3%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.4% · second quarter of 202688th percentile
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- 72.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.2% · August 202588th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people140.1 · 202556th percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.0% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 60.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.6% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance17.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,559 · 202444th percentile
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- 18.9 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 rent9.3% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th 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 Panola 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 Panola County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Panola County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Panola County had its largest rise, from 16.6% in 1989 to 21.5% in 1994.
In Panola County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Panola County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Panola County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.2% in 2011 to 12.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Panola County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 9.6% 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, Panola County, Texas.
How Panola County has changed
Panola County's population had its largest rise, from 17,293 in 1974 to 19,963 in 1979.
Panola County's population rose 42% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 23,678 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Panola County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Panola County had its largest drop, from 9,626 in 2015 to 7,445 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Panola County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 9,626 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Panola County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.4% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,611 | 2024 $68,559 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Panola County's history
1846
Formed in 1846 from sections of Harrison and Shelby counties. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 24,063. The 2020 Census counted 22,491, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
1987
A tornado in November 1987 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A tornado in March 2021 did $1.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1987
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Panola County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Panola County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Panola County, in Texas and Louisiana, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Panola County ranks 3rd of the six; De Soto Parish is highest, at 27.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caddo Parish, LA | 98 | 22.1% | 25.8% |
| De Soto Parish, LA | 87 | 17.0% | 27.9% |
| Shelby County, TX | 83 | 16.2% | 23.9% |
| Harrison County, TX | 75 | 14.5% | 25.0% |
| Rusk County, TX | 73 | 14.1% | 27.3% |
| Panola County, TX | 65 | 13.3% | 26.1% |
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 Panola County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Panola County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 171st 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, Panola County ranks 133rd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Panola 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 Panola 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 Panola County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.