In Reagan County, Texas, benefit checks make up only 15 cents of every dollar of income
In Reagan County, 15.0% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Reagan County's score
In Reagan County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 79.1. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 10.5. About one in 12 renters (8.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Reagan 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, Reagan County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (19.0%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a subprime credit score (55.7%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.7% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
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- 60.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202657th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 56.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.6% · August 202587th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202524th percentile
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- 37.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.1% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.5% · 202425th percentile
- People with a disability10.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance19.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,105 · 202435th percentile
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- 10.5 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 rent8.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th 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 Reagan 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 Reagan County, 10.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Reagan County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Reagan County had its largest drop, from 17.2% in 2009 to 9.6% in 2014.
In Reagan County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 15.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Reagan County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Reagan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.8% in 2012 to 6.8% in 2013.
The share of households in Reagan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 6.0%
Low on the chart: 2.9% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Reagan County, Texas.
How Reagan County has changed
Reagan County's population had its largest rise, from 3,819 in 1979 to 4,949 in 1984.
Reagan County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 37% since
High on the chart: 4,949 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Reagan County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Reagan County rose most sharply after its 2000 low, from 1,167 in 2000 to 1,646 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Reagan County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 2,043 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Reagan County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.8% | 2024 10.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,765 | 2024 $72,105 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Reagan County's history
1903
Carved from Tom Green County in 1903. Wikipedia
1924
Town of Best plunged into vice and violence 1924, Texas Rangers destroyed brothels, gambling houses, and saloons. Wikipedia
1990
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 4,514. The 2020 Census counted 3,385, 75% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Reagan County. FEMA
Reagan County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Reagan County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Reagan County ranks 6th of the seven; Crockett County is highest, at 23.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Green County, TX | 66 | 11.5% | 20.5% |
| Sterling County, TX | 49 | 10.8% | 16.4% |
| Reagan County, TX | 47 | 10.1% | 15.0% |
| Upton County, TX | 34 | 13.4% | 15.1% |
| Crockett County, TX | 33 | 14.7% | 23.8% |
| Irion County, TX | 27 | 8.9% | 15.2% |
| Glasscock County, TX | 26 | 8.2% | 5.7% |
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 Reagan County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Reagan County's poverty rate was 10.1% in 2024, 223rd 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, Reagan County ranks 189th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Reagan 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 Reagan 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 Reagan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.