About one in three people with a credit file in Runnels County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Runnels County, 35.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Runnels County's score
In Runnels County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 77.3. About one in six people (16.7%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 69.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Runnels 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.
Runnels County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (9.0%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (17.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.8% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.8% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability15.8% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- People without health insurance16.7% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,607 · 202476th percentile
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- 69.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.2% · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people131.7 · 202552nd percentile
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- 52.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.6% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 36.5 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 rent9.0% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.0% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
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- 30.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202630th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th 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 Runnels 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 Runnels County, 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Runnels County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Runnels County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 32.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Runnels County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Runnels County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 15.4% in 2014 to 12.2% in 2015.
The share of households in Runnels County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 10.9%
Low on the chart: 10.3% 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, Runnels County, Texas.
How Runnels County has changed
Runnels County's population fell by about a fifth to 9,751, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 12,749 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Runnels County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Runnels County had its largest drop, from 3,700 in 2000 to 3,120 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Runnels County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 3,821 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Runnels County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.9% | 2024 17.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,765 | 2024 $57,607 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Runnels County's history
1858
Created in 1858 and organized in 1880. Wikipedia
1886
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway chooses Ballinger over Runnels City for railroad terminal. Wikipedia
1927
MacMillan oil field discovered near Ballinger; eighteen oil fields explored by 1949. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 21,821. The 2020 Census counted 9,900, 45% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A thunderstorm in May 2002 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in May 2019 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Runnels County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Runnels County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Runnels County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Runnels County ranks 4th of the seven; Coleman County is highest, at 35.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nolan County, TX | 84 | 19.7% | 27.9% |
| Coleman County, TX | 73 | 18.8% | 35.8% |
| Taylor County, TX | 67 | 14.8% | 22.7% |
| Tom Green County, TX | 66 | 11.5% | 20.5% |
| Runnels County, TX | 55 | 17.8% | 32.5% |
| Concho County, TX | 54 | 22.0% | 34.6% |
| Coke County, TX | 50 | 15.0% | 33.1% |
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 Runnels County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Runnels County's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 63rd 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, Runnels County ranks 162nd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Runnels 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 Runnels 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 Runnels County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.