About one in four people in Walker County, Texas, lives below the poverty line
In Walker County, 23.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Walker County's score
In Walker County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 88.9. About one in four renters (27.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 72.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Walker 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.
Walker County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (62.8, 2025) and people with a disability (14.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.9 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 rent27.5% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 72.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.3% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.3% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance15.4% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,095 · 202475th percentile
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- 64.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.5% · second quarter of 202670th percentile
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- 61.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.8% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 49.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.4% · August 202582nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.8 · 202516th 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 Walker 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 Walker County, 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Walker County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Walker County had its largest rise, from 18.8% in 2004 to 23.6% in 2009.
In Walker County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Walker County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Walker County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.4% in 2021 to 10.6% in 2022.
The share of households in Walker County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 10.5%
Low on the chart: 5.0% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Walker County, Texas.
How Walker County has changed
Walker County's population had its largest rise, from 27,142 in 1969 to 37,014 in 1974.
Walker County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 83,722, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 51,211. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Walker County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Walker County rose by about half to 26,291, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 20,456. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Walker County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.4% | 2024 23.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,755 | 2024 $58,095 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Walker County's history
1846
Founded 1846. Wikipedia
1981
A tornado in February 1981 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in August 2017 did $600 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 76,400, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1989
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Walker County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Walker County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Walker County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Walker County ranks 6th of the seven; Trinity County is highest, at 39.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity County, TX | 94 | 16.8% | 39.6% |
| Houston County, TX | 86 | 19.3% | 32.4% |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 84 | 16.8% | 29.1% |
| Walker County, TX | 79 | 23.3% | 27.2% |
| Grimes County, TX | 70 | 15.0% | 27.5% |
| Madison County, TX | 64 | 15.8% | 29.4% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 46 | 9.1% | 12.1% |
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 Walker County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Walker County's poverty rate was 23.3% in 2024, 14th 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, Walker County ranks 67th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Walker 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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Lone Star 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 Walker 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 Walker County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.