In Travis County, Texas, benefit checks make up only 8 cents of every dollar of income
In Travis County, 7.6% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Travis County's score
In Travis County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 69.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 26.0. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (15.4%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Travis 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, Travis County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.3 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 rent22.0% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
-
- 39.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.1% · second quarter of 202622nd percentile
-
- 36.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.2% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people69.9 · 202519th percentile
-
- 28.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.5% · 202426th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability9.6% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance12.1% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$97,487 · 20246th percentile
-
- 26.0 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 202633rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.4% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
-
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 Travis 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 Travis County, 11.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Travis County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Travis County moved most in two steps: 8.3% in 1994 to 6.3% in 1999; 7.6% in 2004 to 9.6% in 2009.
In Travis County, pay from work still brings in about nine times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Travis County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 7.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Travis County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.4% in 2011 to 9.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Travis County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 8.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Travis County, Texas.
How Travis County has changed
Travis County's population had its largest rise, from 1,006,503 in 2009 to 1,150,585 in 2014.
Travis County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 1,363,767, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 414,377. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Travis County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Travis County tripled to 934,650, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 934,650. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Travis County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,472 | 2024 $97,487 |
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 Travis County's history
1867
135 Tonkawa removed from Austin to Jacksboro and Fort Griffin reservation, March-April 1867. Wikipedia
1908
Confederate Veterans home opened, 1884; Confederate women's home opened, 1908. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in August 1980 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Hail in March 2009 did $160 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in October 2013 did $100 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,290,188, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
Hail in September 2023 did $300 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1991
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Travis County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Travis County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Travis County, three score higher. Of the group, Travis County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Caldwell County gets the largest, at 24.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell County, TX | 70 | 11.8% | 24.0% |
| Bastrop County, TX | 54 | 9.6% | 19.7% |
| Hays County, TX | 43 | 10.8% | 12.8% |
| Travis County, TX | 32 | 10.5% | 7.6% |
| Burnet County, TX | 30 | 9.2% | 19.9% |
| Williamson County, TX | 23 | 5.4% | 10.7% |
| Blanco County, TX | 16 | 8.0% | 19.2% |
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 Travis County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Travis County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 217th 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, Travis County ranks 226th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Travis 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.
-
Austin Habitat for Humanity
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
BCL of Texas (business and Community Lenders)
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Frameworks Community Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
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 Travis 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 Travis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.