About two in five people with a credit file in Wilbarger County, Texas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Wilbarger County, 40.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wilbarger County's score
In Wilbarger County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 77.7. Income and the safety net comes next, at 72.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wilbarger 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.
Wilbarger County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.6%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector40.9% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people151.7 · 202560th percentile
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- 72.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.6% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability22.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,755 · 202478th percentile
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- 70.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.1% · second quarter of 202691st percentile
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- 55.3 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 working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 53.4 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 rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202771st 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 Wilbarger 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 Wilbarger County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wilbarger County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wilbarger County had its largest rise, from 17.4% in 1989 to 22.5% in 1994.
In Wilbarger County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 25.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Wilbarger County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wilbarger County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.8% in 2018 to 19.2% in 2019.
The share of households in Wilbarger County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 10.6% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wilbarger County, Texas.
How Wilbarger County has changed
Wilbarger County's population had its largest drop, from 17,006 in 1984 to 15,321 in 1989.
Wilbarger County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 17,006 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wilbarger County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Wilbarger County had its largest drop, from 6,850 in 2010 to 6,044 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Wilbarger County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 6,850 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wilbarger County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.9% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,601 | 2024 $56,755 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Wilbarger County's history
1858
Created in 1858 and organized in 1881. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 24,579. The 2020 Census counted 12,887, 52% of the peak. Census Bureau
1979
A tornado in April 1979 did $25 million in property damage and killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
A tornado in April 1979 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in May 1995 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A thunderstorm in September 1995 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1979
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wilbarger County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wilbarger County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Wilbarger County, in Texas and Oklahoma, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wilbarger County ranks 6th of the seven; Tillman County is highest, at 37.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tillman County, OK | 93 | 22.2% | 37.8% |
| Hardeman County, TX | 83 | 18.1% | 35.7% |
| Baylor County, TX | 81 | 16.1% | 29.8% |
| Wilbarger County, TX | 76 | 14.9% | 25.3% |
| Wichita County, TX | 73 | 14.4% | 26.9% |
| Foard County, TX | 64 | 16.2% | 36.3% |
| Jackson County, OK | 54 | 16.4% | 24.7% |
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 Wilbarger County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Wilbarger County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 120th 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, Wilbarger County ranks 85th of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wilbarger 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.
Download the CSV for Wilbarger 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 Wilbarger County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.