About one in three people in Starr County, Texas, lives below the poverty line
In Starr County, 35.4% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Starr County's score
In Starr County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 94.3. About two in five people (43.8%, Q4 2025) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 93.8.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Starr County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (9.1, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Starr County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 94.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.3% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind8.7% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.8% · Q4 202598th percentile
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- 93.8 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.3% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average9.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202699th percentile
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- 91.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line44.1% · 202499th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$37,375 · 202499th percentile
- People below the poverty line35.4% · 202499th percentile
- People without health insurance28.9% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
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- 87.6 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income32.6% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 49.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector44.2% · August 202597th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people9.1 · 20250th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Starr County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Starr County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Starr County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 7 cents. Benefit checks were 44 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Starr County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 44 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Starr County, Texas: 44.1% and 48.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 44.1% of all personal income in Starr County, Texas (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Starr County, 11.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Starr County has changed
The number of people living in Starr County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 17,675 to 66,587. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 40.6% in 1990 to 9.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 17,675 | 2024 66,587 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 6,450 | 2024 14,746 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 40.6% | 2025 9.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 55.2% | 2024 35.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $10,314 | 2024 $37,375 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 14.7% | 2024 44.1% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Starr County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 65,920, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1848
Created in 1848. Wikipedia
2007
Flash flood: $7.77 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Flood: $37 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Flash flood: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Starr County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Starr County beside its neighbors
Starr County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Starr County ranks 2nd of the five; Brooks County is highest, at 46.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starr County, TX | 97 | 35.4% | 44.1% |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 92 | 24.2% | 31.6% |
| Zapata County, TX | 92 | 30.9% | 40.0% |
| Brooks County, TX | 90 | 30.6% | 46.9% |
| Jim Hogg County, TX | 87 | 22.1% | 39.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Starr County the poorest county in Texas?
Yes, Starr County's poverty rate was 35.4% in 2024, the highest of 254 counties in Texas (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Starr County ranks 1st of 254 in the state.
Starr County, Texas: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Starr County, Texas?
35.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 44.1%.
Is Starr County the poorest county in Texas?
Yes, Starr County's poverty rate was 35.4% in 2024, the highest of 254 counties in Texas (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Starr County ranks 1st of 254 in the state.
What is the population of Starr County, Texas?
About 66,587 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 65,920, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Starr County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Lone Star Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Starr County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.