About one in 18 people in Rockwall County, Texas, lives below the poverty line
In Rockwall County, 5.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rockwall County's score
In Rockwall County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 63.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rockwall 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, Rockwall County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.7%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (211, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people211 · 202577th percentile
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- 51.5 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 rent23.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
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- 36.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.5% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 32.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.7% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 13.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.5% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.9% · 20243rd percentile
- People with a disability9.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.7% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$120,317 · 20241st 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 Rockwall 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 Rockwall County, 12.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rockwall County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Rockwall County had its largest drop, from 6.9% in 1979 to 4.8% in 1984.
In Rockwall County, pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Rockwall County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rockwall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 4.9% in 2017 to 3.8% in 2018.
The share of households in Rockwall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 4.3%
Low on the chart: 3.1% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Rockwall County, Texas.
How Rockwall County has changed
Rockwall County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 104,064 in 2019 to 137,044 in 2024.
Rockwall County's population grew to more than twenty times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 137,044, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 9,579. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rockwall County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Rockwall County had its largest rise in the last span, from 31,986 in 2020 to 43,738 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Rockwall County grew to about eight times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 43,738, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 8,496. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rockwall County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.7% | 2024 5.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $40,956 | 2024 $120,317 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Rockwall County's history
1873
Formed in 1873 from portions of Kaufman County. Wikipedia
2012
A tornado in April 2012 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Hail in April 2012 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Hail in April 2016 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Hail in April 2016 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 107,819, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1966
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rockwall County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Rockwall County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Rockwall County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Rockwall County ranks 3rd of the five; Hunt County is highest, at 22.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County, TX | 79 | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| Hunt County, TX | 78 | 11.1% | 22.7% |
| Kaufman County, TX | 77 | 8.5% | 16.5% |
| Rockwall County, TX | 31 | 5.5% | 11.2% |
| Collin County, TX | 25 | 5.7% | 8.2% |
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 Rockwall County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Rockwall County's poverty rate was 5.5% in 2024, 253rd 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, Rockwall County ranks 231st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rockwall 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 Rockwall 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 Rockwall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.