Zavala County, Texas

County Distress Index: Serious · 71.1 | 9,312 people · 32nd most distressed in Texas
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Zavala County, TX shows significant household financial distress with a score of 71.1 — 157th 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 32nd of 254 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Zavala 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
Debt & Delinquency 73.2
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 69
Student Loan Delinquency 80
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 5
Community Vulnerability 72.9
Uninsured Rate 82
Disability Rate 64
Employment & Wages 65.5
Unemployment Rate 93
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 27
Business Formation Rate 77
Housing Cost Burden 48.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 42
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 36
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 66
Rent-to-Income Ratio 95

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Zavala County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Zavala County
Zavala County, TX 71.1 Serious —
Dimmit County, TX 77.8 Serious +6.7
Uvalde County, TX 76.2 Serious +5.1
Frio County, TX 74.7 Serious +3.6
Maverick County, TX 74.2 Serious +3.1
Kinney County, TX 67.3 Serious -3.8
Medina County, TX 57.3 Elevated -13.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Zavala County
Mineral County, NV 71.1 Serious +0.0
Nevada County, AR 71.1 Serious -0.0
Monroe County, AR 70.9 Serious -0.2
Latimer County, OK 70.9 Serious -0.2
Hardeman County, TX 71.3 Serious +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Zavala County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Zavala County

Find an Attorney

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

State Bar of Texas — Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-252-9690

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Zavala County residents at no cost.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid 1-888-988-9996
Lone Star Legal Aid 1-800-733-8394
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (888) 529-5277

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.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Zavala County, Texas?

    Zavala County has a County Distress Index score of 71.1 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 157th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 32nd in Texas out of 254 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Zavala County?

    The primary driver of distress in Zavala County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Zavala County compare to neighboring counties?

    Zavala County (71.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Dimmit County, TX (77.8); Uvalde County, TX (76.2); Frio County, TX (74.7).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Zavala County?

    Zavala County, Texas has a population of approximately 9,312 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.