About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Washington County, Texas, have a job
In Washington County, 17.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 72% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 52.6. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 34.2. Bankruptcy filings ran at 54 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington 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, Washington County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (14.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 52.6 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 rent15.7% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 51.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.3% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability14.5% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance14.5% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,738 · 202431st percentile
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- 45.5 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 behind5.6% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.1% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 37.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202647th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.1% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
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- 34.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.2% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people54 · 202511th 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 Washington 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 Washington County, 23.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washington County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 22.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Washington County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 10.7%, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2021 and 2022
Biggest rise: 2021 to 2022, reaching 9.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Washington County, Texas.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest rise, from 21,679 in 1979 to 25,480 in 1984.
Washington County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37,810, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 26,198. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Texas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Washington County nearly doubled to 16,712, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 16,712. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.7% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,105 | 2024 $73,738 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Washington County's history
1835
Created in 1835 as a municipality of Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. Wikipedia
1846
German immigrants settled Brenham as early as 1846. Wikipedia
1885
Jewish immigrants established Orthodox synagogue in Brenham 1885. Wikipedia
1953
A tornado in December 1953 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in May 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in December 1983 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in May 2016 did $10 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 35,805, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Washington County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washington County ranks 4th of the eight; Grimes County is highest, at 27.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grimes County, TX | 70 | 15.0% | 27.5% |
| Waller County, TX | 68 | 13.6% | 17.3% |
| Brazos County, TX | 55 | 22.1% | 14.9% |
| Austin County, TX | 54 | 11.1% | 21.3% |
| Burleson County, TX | 46 | 13.7% | 24.3% |
| Lee County, TX | 42 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| Washington County, TX | 39 | 12.4% | 22.8% |
| Fayette County, TX | 32 | 10.2% | 23.0% |
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 Washington County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 182nd 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, Washington County ranks 213th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.