Unemployment in Upton County, Texas, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Upton County, 1.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Upton County's score
In Upton County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 55.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 10.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Upton 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, Upton County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (18.8%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (31.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 55.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd 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 score45.7% · second quarter of 202669th percentile
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- 48.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year1.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.5% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 47.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.6% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability11.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance18.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,021 · 202429th percentile
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- 44.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.3% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people32.2 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 10.2 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 rent1.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.2% · fiscal year 202715th 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 Upton 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 Upton County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Upton County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Upton County had its largest drop, from 20.9% in 2009 to 13.7% in 2014.
In Upton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 15.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Upton County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Upton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.6% in 2010 to 11.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Upton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 5.1% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Upton County, Texas.
How Upton County has changed
Upton County's population had its largest rise, from 4,550 in 1979 to 5,394 in 1984.
Upton County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 42% since
High on the chart: 5,394 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Upton County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Upton County had its largest rise in the last span, from 1,832 in 2020 to 3,904 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Upton County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2000, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 1,124 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Upton County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.6% | 2025 1.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.5% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,991 | 2024 $75,021 |
The table uses 1.8% for 2025; the score uses 1.9% 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 Upton County's history
1887
The county was created in 1887 and later organized in 1910. Wikipedia
1926
Yates Oil Field discovery converted Rankin into boom town, 1926. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 6,239. The 2020 Census counted 3,308, 53% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Upton County. FEMA
Upton County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Upton County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Upton County ranks 4th of the six; Crockett County is highest, at 23.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ector County, TX | 78 | 14.8% | 15.2% |
| Midland County, TX | 53 | 11.2% | 5.6% |
| Reagan County, TX | 47 | 10.1% | 15.0% |
| Crane County, TX | 39 | 11.4% | 16.9% |
| Upton County, TX | 34 | 13.4% | 15.1% |
| Crockett County, TX | 33 | 14.7% | 23.8% |
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 Upton County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Upton County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 165th 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, Upton County ranks 220th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Upton 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.
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 Upton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.