About two in five people with a credit file in Victoria County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Victoria County, 37.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Victoria County's score
In Victoria County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 86.1. About one in four renters (25.2%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 84.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Victoria 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.
Victoria County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (72, 2025) and median household income ($67,704, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.1 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 rent25.2% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 84.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.5% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.8% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.5% · second quarter of 202678th percentile
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- 62.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability16.1% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- People without health insurance17.2% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,704 · 202447th percentile
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- 56.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202661st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 55.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.9% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people72 · 202520th 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 Victoria 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 Victoria County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Victoria County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Victoria County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 24.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Victoria County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Victoria County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.4% in 2014 to 12.1% in 2015.
The share of households in Victoria County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.2%
High on the chart: 15.1% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Victoria County, Texas.
How Victoria County has changed
Victoria County's population nearly doubled to 91,949, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 66,748. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Victoria County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Victoria County had its largest drop, from 41,716 in 2015 to 35,732 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Victoria County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 41,716 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Victoria County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.0% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,024 | 2024 $67,704 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Victoria County's history
1836
Victoria County was established in 1836. Wikipedia
2007
A flash flood in July 2007 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in August 2017 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 91,319, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flood in May 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Victoria County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Victoria County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Victoria County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Victoria County ranks 6th of the seven; Refugio County is highest, at 32.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refugio County, TX | 84 | 15.2% | 32.1% |
| Victoria County, TX | 82 | 14.3% | 24.0% |
| DeWitt County, TX | 73 | 18.5% | 21.8% |
| Jackson County, TX | 65 | 14.3% | 26.6% |
| Goliad County, TX | 63 | 15.4% | 25.2% |
| Calhoun County, TX | 44 | 14.5% | 26.8% |
| Lavaca County, TX | 19 | 12.4% | 25.6% |
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 Victoria County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Victoria County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 141st 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, Victoria County ranks 56th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Victoria 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 Victoria 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 Victoria County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.