About one in three people with a credit file in Robertson County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Robertson County, 34.6% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Robertson County's score
In Robertson County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 76.7. About one in four renters (25.4%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 71.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Robertson 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.
Robertson County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (57.9, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.7 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 rent25.4% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.3% · fiscal year 202765th percentile
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- 71.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.8% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability19.9% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance11.3% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,886 · 202464th percentile
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- 68.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.7% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 67.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.0% · second quarter of 202679th percentile
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- 49.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.6% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57.9 · 202513th 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 Robertson 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 Robertson County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Robertson County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Robertson County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 26.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Robertson County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Robertson County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2018 low, from 17.7% in 2017 to 14.8% in 2018.
The share of households in Robertson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 14.8% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Robertson County, Texas.
How Robertson County has changed
Robertson County's population rose by about a quarter to 17,659, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 16,075. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Robertson County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Robertson County rose by about half to 5,641, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 5,641 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Robertson County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 26.8% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,881 | 2024 $61,886 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Robertson County's history
1837
Created in 1837 and organized the following year. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 31,480. The 2020 Census counted 16,757, 53% of the peak. Census Bureau
2004
A flash flood in May 2004 did $2.73 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1991
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Robertson County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Robertson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Robertson County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Robertson County ranks 5th of the seven; Limestone County is highest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limestone County, TX | 80 | 14.8% | 32.4% |
| Robertson County, TX | 78 | 15.7% | 26.4% |
| Falls County, TX | 66 | 18.7% | 31.5% |
| Milam County, TX | 61 | 13.8% | 30.8% |
| Leon County, TX | 57 | 14.2% | 29.0% |
| Brazos County, TX | 55 | 22.1% | 14.9% |
| Burleson County, TX | 46 | 13.7% | 24.3% |
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 Robertson County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Robertson County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 99th 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, Robertson County ranks 78th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Robertson 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.
Download the CSV for Robertson 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 Robertson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.