Unemployment in Waller County, Texas, is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Waller County, 5.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Waller County's score
In Waller County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.8. Late payments on loans come next, at 68.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Waller 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.
Waller County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (10.7%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($83,520, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 68.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.5% · second quarter of 202668th percentile
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- 61.4 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 rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th percentile
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- 50.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.7% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people85 · 202528th percentile
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- 43.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability10.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance20.1% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,520 · 202415th 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 Waller 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 Waller County, 11.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Waller County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Waller County had its largest rise, from 13.2% in 1989 to 16.4% in 1994.
In Waller County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 17.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Waller County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Waller County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.8% in 2017 to 12.8% in 2018.
The share of households in Waller County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.8% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Waller County, Texas.
How Waller County has changed
Waller County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size, reaching 65,109, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 65,109. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Waller County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Waller County had its largest rise in the last span, from 20,950 in 2020 to 27,947 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Waller County grew to about four times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 27,947, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 8,108. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Waller County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.0% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,566 | 2024 $83,520 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Waller County's history
1861
Confederate Military Post of Hempstead established with camps of instruction, spring 1861. Wikipedia
1862
Camp Groce established as Confederate training camp for infantry, spring 1862. Wikipedia
1863
Nearly 200 Confederate soldiers died from sickness at Camps Groce and Hebert, 1861-1863. Wikipedia
1863
Camp Groce reopened as Union POW prison, 427 prisoners held, 21 died, 1863. Wikipedia
1998
A tornado in October 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in April 2016 did $6.7 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 56,794, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A thunderstorm in May 2024 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Waller County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Waller County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Waller County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Waller County ranks 4th of the seven; Grimes County is highest, at 27.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County, TX | 83 | 16.7% | 12.1% |
| Grimes County, TX | 70 | 15.0% | 27.5% |
| Waller County, TX | 68 | 13.6% | 17.3% |
| Austin County, TX | 54 | 11.1% | 21.3% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 46 | 9.1% | 12.1% |
| Washington County, TX | 39 | 12.4% | 22.8% |
| Fort Bend County, TX | 38 | 7.7% | 11.1% |
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 Waller County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Waller County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 160th 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, Waller County ranks 115th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Waller 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 Waller 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 Waller County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.