In Sterling County, Texas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Sterling County, 16.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sterling County's score
In Sterling County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 80.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 37.0. The typical household earns $87,739 a year (2024), more than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sterling 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, Sterling County is worse off than most counties on people with a subprime credit score (59.0%, Q2 2026) and people without health insurance (26.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.6 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 score59.0% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 47.0 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 rent24.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.2% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
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- 44.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 40.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.5% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202524th percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.0% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability12.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance26.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$87,739 · 202412th 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 Sterling 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 Sterling County, 15.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sterling County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sterling County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 16.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Sterling County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sterling County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.7% in 2019 to 9.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Sterling County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 1.8% 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, Sterling County, Texas.
How Sterling County has changed
Sterling County's population had its largest rise, from 1,167 in 1979 to 1,581 in 1984.
Sterling County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 1,581 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sterling County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Sterling County had its largest drop, from 655 in 2015 to 499 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Sterling County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 655 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sterling County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.0% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.9% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,565 | 2024 $87,739 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Sterling County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 1,493. The 2020 Census counted 1,372, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sterling County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sterling County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Sterling County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sterling County ranks 5th of the seven; Coke County is highest, at 33.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Green County, TX | 66 | 11.5% | 20.5% |
| Howard County, TX | 64 | 15.4% | 19.2% |
| Mitchell County, TX | 62 | 22.1% | 29.7% |
| Coke County, TX | 50 | 15.0% | 33.1% |
| Sterling County, TX | 49 | 10.8% | 16.4% |
| Reagan County, TX | 47 | 10.1% | 15.0% |
| Glasscock County, TX | 26 | 8.2% | 5.7% |
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 Sterling County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Sterling County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 214th 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, Sterling County ranks 180th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sterling 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 Sterling 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 Sterling County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.