About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Schleicher County, Texas, is not working
In Schleicher County, 25.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 74% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Schleicher County's score
In Schleicher County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 75.6. About half of people (50.0%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 79% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 72.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Schleicher 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.
Schleicher County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (10.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.0% · second quarter of 202679th percentile
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- 72.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202670th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.1% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
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- 58.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.0% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability10.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance22.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,029 · 202446th percentile
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- 49.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.2% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202524th percentile
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- 44.2 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 rent19.2% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202732nd 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 Schleicher 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 Schleicher County, 22.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Schleicher County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Schleicher County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 27.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Schleicher County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Schleicher County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.1% in 2009 to 5.1% in 2010.
The share of households in Schleicher County getting SNAP food aid fell by about a fifth from 2009 to 2024, reaching 7.3%, with its low point on the chart in 2021
Low on the chart: 4.5% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Schleicher County, Texas.
How Schleicher County has changed
Schleicher County's population had its largest rise, from 2,740 in 1979 to 3,412 in 1984.
Schleicher County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 3,412 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Schleicher County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Schleicher County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 950 in 2015 to 699 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Schleicher County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 950 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Schleicher County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.2% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,794 | 2024 $68,029 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Schleicher County's history
1887
Established in April 1887 from Crockett County. Wikipedia
1941
West Texas Woolen Mills opens in Eldorado then closes, affecting local economy. Wikipedia
1996
Hail in November 1996 did $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 3,461. The 2020 Census counted 2,451, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Schleicher County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Schleicher County beside its neighbors
Schleicher County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Schleicher County ranks 2nd of the six; Menard County is highest, at 38.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schleicher County, TX | 67 | 15.4% | 27.1% |
| Tom Green County, TX | 66 | 11.5% | 20.5% |
| Menard County, TX | 56 | 20.0% | 38.6% |
| Sutton County, TX | 54 | 12.3% | 24.2% |
| Crockett County, TX | 33 | 14.7% | 23.8% |
| Irion County, TX | 27 | 8.9% | 15.2% |
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 Schleicher County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Schleicher County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 105th 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, Schleicher County ranks 120th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Schleicher 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 Schleicher 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 Schleicher County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.