In Parker County, Texas, benefit checks make up only 14 cents of every dollar of income
In Parker County, 14.1% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Parker County's score
In Parker County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 65.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 26.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Parker 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.
Even so, Parker County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (13.2%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.8% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
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- 58.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people141.2 · 202556th percentile
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- 39.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.3% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 35.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202633rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
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- 26.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.6% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability13.7% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- People without health insurance13.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$101,485 · 20245th 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 Parker 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 Parker County, 16.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Parker County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Parker County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 14.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Parker County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Parker County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 7.2% in 2019 to 5.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Parker County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 5.1%
Low on the chart: 5.0% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Parker County, Texas.
How Parker County has changed
Parker County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 144,295 in 2019 to 179,707 in 2024.
Parker County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 179,707, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 35,167. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Parker County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Parker County had its largest rise in the last span, from 33,568 in 2020 to 42,861 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Parker County more than tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 42,861, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 33,568. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Parker County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,330 | 2024 $101,485 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Parker County's history
1995
Hail in May 1995 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in June 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in June 2004 did $7.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 148,222, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2026
A thunderstorm in April 2026 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Parker County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Parker County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Parker County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Parker County ranks 6th of the seven; Palo Pinto County is highest, at 26.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Pinto County, TX | 80 | 16.0% | 26.4% |
| Tarrant County, TX | 71 | 11.5% | 13.4% |
| Jack County, TX | 67 | 14.3% | 25.1% |
| Johnson County, TX | 66 | 7.9% | 20.0% |
| Hood County, TX | 50 | 8.0% | 23.4% |
| Parker County, TX | 42 | 8.0% | 14.1% |
| Wise County, TX | 38 | 8.1% | 18.6% |
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 Parker County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Parker County's poverty rate was 8.0% in 2024, 240th 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, Parker County ranks 207th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Parker 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 Parker 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 Parker County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.