Willacy County, Texas

County Distress Index: Serious · 72.4 | 20,037 people · 21st most distressed in Texas

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Willacy County, TX shows significant household financial distress with a score of 72.4 — 120th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Texas, it ranks 21st of 254 counties. It scores higher than all 3 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Willacy County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 96.9 — worse than roughly 97% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 96.9
Poverty Rate 97
Income vs. State Median 98
Child Poverty Rate 96
Employment & Wages 83.0
Unemployment Rate 92
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 60
Business Formation Rate 98
Debt & Delinquency 66.7
Debt in Collections 99
Medical Debt 90
Student Loan Delinquency 0
Auto Loan Delinquency 97
Credit Card Delinquency 97
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 17
Community Vulnerability 64.7
Uninsured Rate 99
Disability Rate 30
Housing Cost Burden 50.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 53
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 42
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 7
Homeownership Rate 60
Rent-to-Income Ratio 90

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Willacy County compares to its 3 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Willacy County
Willacy County, TX 72.4 Serious
Hidalgo County, TX 72.4 Serious 0.0
Cameron County, TX 72.3 Serious -0.0
Kenedy County, TX 54.7 Elevated -17.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Willacy County
Pushmataha County, OK 72.4 Serious 0.0
Warren County, NC 72.4 Serious +0.0
Bradley County, AR 72.4 Serious +0.1
Le Flore County, OK 72.5 Serious +0.1
Wayne County, KY 72.2 Serious -0.2

Download Data

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Find Help in Willacy County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Willacy County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

Texas State Law Library — Foreclosure Research Guide Comprehensive guide to Texas foreclosure law with links to statutes, forms, and practice guides.
TexasLawHelp.org Free legal information and self-help resources for low-income Texans.

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