About one in four people in Terrell County, Texas, has a disability
In Terrell County, 25.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Terrell County's score
In Terrell County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 88.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 291.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 90% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 87.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Terrell 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.
Terrell County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (0.0%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (11.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people291.1 · 202590th percentile
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- 87.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.7% · 202482nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.7% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability25.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance15.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,891 · 202486th percentile
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- 63.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit 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 score38.1% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 42.9 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 rent0.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 19.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.2% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Terrell 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 Terrell County, 38.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Terrell County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Terrell County had its largest rise, from 20.6% in 2014 to 29.8% in 2019.
In Terrell County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 26.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Terrell County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Terrell County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 0.0% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Terrell County, Texas.
How Terrell County has changed
Terrell County's population fell most sharply after its 1974 high, from 1,856 in 1974 to 1,592 in 1979.
Terrell County's population fell by more than half to 718, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 1,856 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Terrell County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Terrell County had its largest drop, from 439 in 2000 to 279 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Terrell County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 41% since
High on the chart: 439 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Terrell County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.5% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.8% | 2024 18.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,222 | 2024 $52,891 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Terrell County's history
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 3,189. The 2020 Census counted 760, 24% of the peak. Census Bureau
1965
Major flood killed 26 people, destroyed homes and businesses, June 1965. Wikipedia
1995
Southern Pacific ended train crew operations in Sanderson; community lost businesses and half population by 2013, 1995. Wikipedia
2004
A flash flood in July 2004 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Two tornadoes, EF1 and EF3, destroyed homes and injured 12 people, June 2, 2024. Wikipedia
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Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Terrell County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Terrell County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Terrell County, one scores higher. Of the group, Terrell County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (26.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Val Verde County, TX | 74 | 18.1% | 26.7% |
| Terrell County, TX | 67 | 18.7% | 26.9% |
| Pecos County, TX | 65 | 17.3% | 24.4% |
| Crockett County, TX | 33 | 14.7% | 23.8% |
| Brewster County, TX | 25 | 15.1% | 20.6% |
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 Terrell County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Terrell County's poverty rate was 18.7% in 2024, 51st 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, Terrell County ranks 118th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Terrell 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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Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
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 Terrell 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 Terrell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.