About two in five people with a credit file in Refugio County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Refugio County, 39.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Refugio County's score
In Refugio County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 86.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 10.0%, August 2025, higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 82.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Refugio 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.
Refugio County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (17.7%, fiscal year 2027) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (75, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.0% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score54.8% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
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- 82.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.6% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 72.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.2% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.4% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability20.5% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance16.1% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,639 · 202444th percentile
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- 57.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.4% · August 202593rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people75 · 202522nd percentile
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- 53.8 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 rent25.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.7% · fiscal year 202718th 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 Refugio 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 Refugio County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Refugio County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Refugio County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 32.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Refugio County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Refugio County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.7% in 2019 to 17.0% in 2020.
The share of households in Refugio County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 11.7% 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, Refugio County, Texas.
How Refugio County has changed
Refugio County's population had its largest drop, from 9,604 in 1969 to 8,580 in 1974.
Refugio County's population fell 30% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 9,604 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Refugio County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Refugio County had its largest drop, from 2,316 in 1990 to 2,045 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Refugio County fell 7% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2000
Low on the chart: 1,975 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Refugio County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.1% | 2024 15.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,421 | 2024 $68,639 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Refugio County's history
1834
Originated as municipality of Mexico 1834; classified as county 1837. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 10,975. The 2020 Census counted 6,741, 61% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
Hurricane Carla struck Refugio in 1961 causing widespread damage. Wikipedia
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Since 1967
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Refugio County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Refugio County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Refugio County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Refugio County ranks 2nd of the seven; Bee County is highest, at 32.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bee County, TX | 88 | 24.2% | 32.7% |
| Refugio County, TX | 84 | 15.2% | 32.1% |
| San Patricio County, TX | 82 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Victoria County, TX | 82 | 14.3% | 24.0% |
| Aransas County, TX | 78 | 14.3% | 27.2% |
| Goliad County, TX | 63 | 15.4% | 25.2% |
| Calhoun County, TX | 44 | 14.5% | 26.8% |
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 Refugio County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Refugio County's poverty rate was 15.2% in 2024, 111th 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, Refugio County ranks 42nd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Refugio 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 Refugio 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 Refugio County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.