In Polk County, Texas, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2015
In 2024, 41 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Polk County's score
In Polk County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.7. About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 (28.1%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 85% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 79.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Polk 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.
Polk County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (121.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202680th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 79.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score53.5% · second quarter of 202687th percentile
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- 73.0 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 line21.9% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability22.7% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance14.4% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,522 · 202453rd percentile
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- 71.0 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 rent22.4% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.5% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 65.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.8% · August 202583rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121.8 · 202547th 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 Polk 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 Polk County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Polk County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Polk County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Texas
In Polk County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (13.8% in 2009) to 15.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 16.2%
Low on the chart: 13.8% 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, Polk County, Texas.
How Polk County has changed
Polk County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size, reaching 54,258, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 40,661. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Polk County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Polk County doubled to 13,150, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 9,159. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Polk County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.7% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,510 | 2024 $65,522 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Polk County's history
1846
Created March 30, 1846, from Liberty County by act of the first Legislature of the State of Texas. Wikipedia
1986
A thunderstorm in May 1986 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A thunderstorm in May 1986 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Polunsky Unit state prison with death row since 1999. Wikipedia
2017
A flash flood in August 2017 did $300 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 50,123, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in April 2020 did $5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Polk County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Polk County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Polk County, three score higher. Of the group, Polk County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (40.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty County, TX | 95 | 17.8% | 24.2% |
| Trinity County, TX | 94 | 16.8% | 39.6% |
| Tyler County, TX | 91 | 16.3% | 36.0% |
| Polk County, TX | 89 | 14.5% | 40.5% |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 84 | 16.8% | 29.1% |
| Angelina County, TX | 83 | 12.7% | 29.1% |
| Hardin County, TX | 60 | 10.8% | 24.1% |
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 Polk County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Polk 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, Polk County ranks 19th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Polk 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.
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 Polk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.