In Winkler County, Texas, benefit checks make up only 15 cents of every dollar of income
In Winkler County, 15.1% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Winkler County's score
In Winkler County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 62.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 14.3. About one in 15 renters (6.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Winkler 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, Winkler County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (19.0%, 2020 to 2024) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (38.4%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.5% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
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- 58.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.4% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202524th percentile
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- 50.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability11.4% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- People without health insurance19.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,437 · 202432nd percentile
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- 45.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 14.3 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 rent6.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.1% · fiscal year 202722nd 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 Winkler 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 Winkler County, 12.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Winkler County
Texas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Winkler County had its largest rise, from 15.3% in 1989 to 23.8% in 1994.
In Winkler County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 15.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Winkler County, Texas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Winkler County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.2% in 2022 to 18.4% in 2023.
The share of households in Winkler County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2019, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 7.5% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Winkler County, Texas.
How Winkler County has changed
Winkler County's population had its largest drop, from 11,099 in 1984 to 8,769 in 1989.
Winkler County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 11,099 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Winkler County, Texas.
The number of jobs located in Winkler County had its largest rise in the last span, from 3,286 in 2020 to 4,223 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Winkler County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2000, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 2,100 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Winkler County, Texas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.0% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,475 | 2024 $73,437 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Winkler County's history
1916
Drought swept Winkler County 1916, many families left. Wikipedia
1926
Hendrick oil field discovered Winkler County 1926. Wikipedia
1928
Oil boom established town of Wink, housing shortage forced tents and makeshift structures. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 13,652. The 2020 Census counted 7,791, 57% of the peak. Census Bureau
1970
Oil industry declined West Texas 1970, Winkler County population dropped to 9,640. Wikipedia
1982
Oil industry declined early 1980s, falling crude oil prices. Wikipedia
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Since 1998
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Winkler County. FEMA
Winkler County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Winkler County, in Texas and New Mexico, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Winkler County ranks 4th of the six; Lea County is highest, at 19.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ector County, TX | 78 | 14.8% | 15.2% |
| Lea County, NM | 73 | 15.7% | 19.0% |
| Ward County, TX | 70 | 13.6% | 15.7% |
| Andrews County, TX | 48 | 10.5% | 14.9% |
| Winkler County, TX | 43 | 14.3% | 15.1% |
| Loving County, TX | 28 | 6.3% | 6.7% |
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 Winkler County the poorest county in Texas?
No, Winkler County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 141st 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, Winkler County ranks 203rd of 254 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Winkler 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 Winkler 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 Winkler County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.