Unemployment in Presidio County, Texas, is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Presidio County, 6.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Presidio County's score
In Presidio County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 84.5. About one in three people (33.6%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 72.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Presidio 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.
Presidio County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (34.5, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (9.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.8% · 202486th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.6% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability16.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- People without health insurance33.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,703 · 202491st percentile
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- 72.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 49.5 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 rent9.7% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.0% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 48.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.5% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 25.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.0% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people34.5 · 20255th or lower 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 Presidio 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 Presidio 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
Presidio County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Presidio County had its largest drop, from 31.1% in 2009 to 22.1% in 2014.
In Presidio County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 22.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Presidio County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Presidio County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 31.5% in 2019 to 43.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Presidio County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 17.6%
Biggest drop: 2021 to 2022, reaching 24.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Presidio County, Texas.
How Presidio County has changed
Presidio County's population had its largest drop, from 7,021 in 2014 to 6,246 in 2019.
Presidio County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 7,593 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Presidio County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Presidio County rose most sharply after its 1995 low, from 1,451 in 1995 to 1,912 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Presidio County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 2,259 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Presidio County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 14.9% | 2025 6.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 39.8% | 2024 19.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $12,399 | 2024 $49,703 |
The table uses 6.5% for 2025; the score uses 6.1% 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 Presidio County's history
1850
Created in 1850, organized in 1875. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 12,202. The 2020 Census counted 6,131, 50% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A thunderstorm in July 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in September 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in June 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1998
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Presidio County. FEMA
Presidio County beside its neighbors
Of the two counties that border Presidio County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Presidio County ranks 2nd of the three; Jeff Davis County is highest, at 25.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Davis County, TX | 63 | 12.8% | 25.2% |
| Presidio County, TX | 59 | 19.8% | 22.5% |
| Brewster County, TX | 25 | 15.1% | 20.6% |
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 Presidio County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Presidio County's poverty rate was 19.8% in 2024, 39th 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, Presidio County ranks 151st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Presidio 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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Texas RioGrande 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 Presidio 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 Presidio County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.