In Somervell County, Texas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Somervell County, 14.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Somervell County's score
In Somervell County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 42.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 5.0. About one in 91 renters (1.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Somervell 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, Somervell County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 42.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202667th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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- 36.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.5% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people50.6 · 20259th percentile
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- 31.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.7% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance12.4% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,779 · 202416th percentile
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- 18.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.9% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 5.0 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 rent1.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.7% · fiscal year 20275th or lower 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 Somervell 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 Somervell County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Somervell County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Somervell County had its largest drop, from 18.2% in 1974 to 11.0% in 1979.
In Somervell County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 21.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Somervell County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Somervell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 15.4% in 2018 to 10.2% in 2019.
The share of households in Somervell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 5.5%
Low on the chart: 4.5% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Somervell County, Texas.
How Somervell County has changed
Somervell County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size, reaching 10,098, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 6,731. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Somervell County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Somervell County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 4,053 in 2015 to 3,332 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Somervell County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990, after reaching its lowest on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 3,332 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Somervell County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 16.7% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.4% | 2024 9.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,438 | 2024 $82,779 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Somervell County's history
1875
Formed and organized in 1875 from Hood County. Wikipedia
1893
Courthouse and county records burned in fire, second courthouse built after loss. Wikipedia
1987
A thunderstorm in September 1987 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in May 2007 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 9,205, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1989
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Somervell County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Somervell County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Somervell County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Somervell County ranks 3rd of the five; Bosque County is highest, at 28.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erath County, TX | 68 | 14.9% | 21.3% |
| Johnson County, TX | 66 | 7.9% | 20.0% |
| Bosque County, TX | 63 | 14.5% | 28.5% |
| Hood County, TX | 50 | 8.0% | 23.4% |
| Somervell County, TX | 12 | 9.7% | 21.5% |
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 Somervell County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Somervell County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 225th 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, Somervell County ranks 253rd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Somervell 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 Somervell 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 Somervell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.