Shelby County, Texas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 61.5 | 24,179 people · 100th most distressed in Texas

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Shelby County, TX registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 61.5 — 713th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Texas, it ranks 100th of 254 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Shelby County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 78.1 — worse than roughly 78% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 78.1
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 96
Student Loan Delinquency 66
Auto Loan Delinquency 90
Credit Card Delinquency 97
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 25
Income & Poverty 76.1
Poverty Rate 78
Income vs. State Median 74
Child Poverty Rate 77
Community Vulnerability 73.6
Uninsured Rate 96
Disability Rate 51
Employment & Wages 50.0
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 28
Business Formation Rate 44
Housing Cost Burden 29.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 16
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 18
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 16
Homeownership Rate 47
Rent-to-Income Ratio 54

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Shelby County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Shelby County
Shelby County, TX 61.5 Elevated
San Augustine County, TX 75.6 Serious +14.0
Nacogdoches County, TX 71.5 Serious +10.0
Sabine County, TX 60.7 Elevated -0.9
Rusk County, TX 59.1 Elevated -2.5
Sabine Parish, LA 58.7 Elevated -2.9
De Soto Parish, LA 56.0 Elevated -5.6
Panola County, TX 55.8 Elevated -5.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Shelby County
Howell County, MO 61.5 Elevated -0.0
Arkansas County, AR 61.6 Elevated +0.0
Wasco County, OR 61.6 Elevated +0.0
Lunenburg County, VA 61.6 Elevated +0.1
Union County, TN 61.6 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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Find Help in Shelby County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Shelby County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

Texas State Law Library — Foreclosure Research Guide Comprehensive guide to Texas foreclosure law with links to statutes, forms, and practice guides.
TexasLawHelp.org Free legal information and self-help resources for low-income Texans.

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