About one in four people in San Jacinto County, Texas, has a disability
In San Jacinto County, 23.6% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives San Jacinto County's score
In San Jacinto County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 87.8. About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 (30.1%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 89% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 86.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in San Jacinto 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.
San Jacinto County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (7.6%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (86.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
-
- 86.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.9% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.6% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
-
- 81.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.0% · 202482nd percentile
- People with a disability23.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance17.7% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,182 · 202463rd percentile
-
- 59.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.6% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people86.4 · 202528th percentile
-
- 37.1 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 rent7.6% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
-
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 San Jacinto 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 San Jacinto County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
San Jacinto County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in San Jacinto County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 24.6% in 2004 to 29.6% in 2009.
In San Jacinto County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In San Jacinto County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in San Jacinto County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.5% in 2013 to 21.2% in 2014.
The share of households in San Jacinto County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 12.3% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, San Jacinto County, Texas.
How San Jacinto County has changed
San Jacinto County's population had its largest rise, from 10,636 in 1979 to 14,188 in 1984.
San Jacinto County's population rose 348% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 26,301. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, San Jacinto County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in San Jacinto County doubled to 2,490, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 2,140. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, San Jacinto County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.7% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,667 | 2024 $62,182 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 San Jacinto County's history
1983
A tornado in December 1983 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1987
A thunderstorm in July 1987 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in December 2001 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in August 2017 did $350 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 27,402, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1973
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered San Jacinto County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
San Jacinto County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border San Jacinto County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, San Jacinto County ranks 3rd of the six; Polk County is highest, at 40.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty County, TX | 95 | 17.8% | 24.2% |
| Trinity County, TX | 94 | 16.8% | 39.6% |
| Polk County, TX | 89 | 14.5% | 40.5% |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 84 | 16.8% | 29.1% |
| Walker County, TX | 79 | 23.3% | 27.2% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 46 | 9.1% | 12.1% |
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 San Jacinto County the poorest county in Texas?
No, San Jacinto County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 74th 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, San Jacinto County ranks 41st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in San Jacinto 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.
-
Lone Star Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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 San Jacinto 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 San Jacinto County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.