About two in five people with a credit file in Swisher County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Swisher County, 43.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Swisher County's score
In Swisher County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.5. People with a credit card behind: 12.8%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 78.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Swisher 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.
Swisher County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (57.5, 2025) and people with a disability (14.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind12.8% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.1% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
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- 78.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.2% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line31.3% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance23.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,199 · 202469th percentile
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- 64.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.9% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 59.4 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 rent22.2% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
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- 54.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector43.2% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57.5 · 202513th 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 Swisher 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 Swisher County, 16.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Swisher County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Swisher County had its largest rise, from 17.7% in 2004 to 22.2% in 2009.
In Swisher County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 17.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Swisher County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Swisher County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.3% in 2017 to 14.6% in 2018.
The share of households in Swisher County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 9.1% 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, Swisher County, Texas.
How Swisher County has changed
Swisher County's population fell 37% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1979 to 1984, reaching 8,970. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Swisher County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Swisher County had its largest rise, from 2,272 in 1990 to 2,493 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Swisher County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 28% since
High on the chart: 2,493 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Swisher County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.7% | 2024 23.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,873 | 2024 $60,199 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Swisher County's history
1876
Created in 1876 and organized in 1890. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 10,607. The 2020 Census counted 6,971, 66% of the peak. Census Bureau
1970
A tornado in April 1970 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
A tornado in April 1970 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in May 2002 did $4 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in April 2007 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Swisher County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Swisher County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Swisher County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Swisher County ranks 5th of the seven; Floyd County is highest, at 35.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hale County, TX | 87 | 18.6% | 29.0% |
| Swisher County, TX | 83 | 23.2% | 17.2% |
| Floyd County, TX | 77 | 17.3% | 35.8% |
| Briscoe County, TX | 55 | 14.7% | 27.6% |
| Castro County, TX | 47 | 16.7% | 11.8% |
| Randall County, TX | 28 | 10.4% | 15.5% |
| Armstrong County, TX | 10 | 10.1% | 27.0% |
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 Swisher County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Swisher County's poverty rate was 23.2% in 2024, 15th 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, Swisher County ranks 51st of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Swisher 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 Swisher 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 Swisher County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.