Zapata County, Texas

County Distress Index: Serious · 75.7 | 13,736 people · 9th most distressed in Texas

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Zapata County, TX shows significant household financial distress with a score of 75.7 — 53rd 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 9th of 254 counties. Among its 3 neighboring counties, 2 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Zapata County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.0 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Employment & Wages 87.1
Unemployment Rate 94
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 72
Business Formation Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 77.2
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 93
Student Loan Delinquency 80
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 5
Community Vulnerability 71.8
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 49
Housing Cost Burden 47.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 28
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 48
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 21
Homeownership Rate 49
Rent-to-Income Ratio 91

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Zapata County
Zapata County, TX 75.7 Serious
Starr County, TX 79.2 Serious +3.5
Webb County, TX 72.6 Serious -3.1
Jim Hogg County, TX 72.4 Serious -3.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Zapata County
Edgecombe County, NC 75.8 Serious +0.1
Cocke County, TN 75.6 Serious -0.1
Telfair County, GA 75.8 Serious +0.1
Anson County, NC 75.5 Serious -0.2
Kleberg County, TX 75.5 Serious -0.2

Download Data

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Find Help in Zapata 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 Zapata 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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