About one in three people with a credit file in Taylor County, Texas, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Taylor County, 34.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Taylor County's score
In Taylor County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 75.0. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 24.4% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 80% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 68.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Taylor 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.
Taylor County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (17.2%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.4% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 68.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.6% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 65.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.9% · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people117.1 · 202545th percentile
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- 60.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.9% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance14.1% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,490 · 202456th percentile
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- 30.0 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 202631st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.2% · 2020 to 202428th 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 Taylor 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 Taylor County, 15.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Taylor County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Taylor County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Taylor County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Taylor County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.8% in 2012 to 12.2% in 2013.
The share of households in Taylor County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 9.8% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Taylor County, Texas.
How Taylor County has changed
Taylor County's population rose by about half to 148,813, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 122,280. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Taylor County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Taylor County had its largest rise in the last span, from 62,425 in 2020 to 68,821 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Taylor County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 68,821, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 54,661. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Taylor County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.0% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,914 | 2024 $64,490 |
The table uses 3.4% 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 Taylor County's history
1929
Oil discovered in county, 1929. Wikipedia
1985
A tornado in April 1985 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A flash flood in July 2002 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Hail in June 2014 did $400 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 143,208, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1981
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Taylor County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Taylor County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Taylor County, three score higher. Of the group, Taylor County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Coleman County gets the largest, at 35.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jones County, TX | 86 | 22.7% | 30.3% |
| Nolan County, TX | 84 | 19.7% | 27.9% |
| Coleman County, TX | 73 | 18.8% | 35.8% |
| Taylor County, TX | 67 | 14.8% | 22.7% |
| Runnels County, TX | 55 | 17.8% | 32.5% |
| Callahan County, TX | 54 | 11.5% | 27.8% |
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 Taylor County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Taylor County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 123rd 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, Taylor County ranks 122nd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Taylor 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 Taylor 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 Taylor County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.