Travis County, Texas
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Travis County. Population: 1,334,961 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Travis County, TX falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 39.8 — 2360th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Texas, it ranks 233rd of 254 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Travis County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverCommunity Vulnerability
Debt & Delinquency
Employment & Wages
Income & Poverty
How Travis County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travis County, TX | 39.8 | Normal | — |
| Caldwell County, TX | 63.6 | Elevated | +23.8 |
| Bastrop County, TX | 53.1 | Elevated | +13.3 |
| Hays County, TX | 48.8 | Normal | +9.0 |
| Burnet County, TX | 41.5 | Normal | +1.7 |
| Williamson County, TX | 37.2 | Normal | -2.6 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York County, NY | 39.3 | Normal | -0.5 |
| Salt Lake County, UT | 40.5 | Normal | +0.7 |
| Alameda County, CA | 38.7 | Normal | -1.1 |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 41.1 | Normal | +1.3 |
| Collin County, TX | 38.1 | Normal | -1.7 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Travis County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Travis County, Texas?
Travis County has a County Distress Index score of 39.8 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,360th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 233rd in Texas out of 254 counties.
What drives financial distress in Travis County?
The primary driver of distress in Travis County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 82.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Travis County compare to neighboring counties?
Travis County (39.8) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Caldwell County, TX (63.6); Bastrop County, TX (53.1); Hays County, TX (48.8).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Travis County?
Travis County, Texas has a population of approximately 1,334,961 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.