Texas has the highest share of people with a debt in collections of any state: 20.2%
Each state is shaded by how distressed its households are, from green (least) to red (most), with data through September 2026. Texas scores 90 out of 100.
Texans fall behind more than most: 22.8% had at least one debt 90 or more days past due in early 2025, 5th highest nationally. Texas also has the largest share of mortgages with less than 10% equity of any state, 9.4% in mid-2026, about twice the U.S. share. From 2020 to 2024, 17.1% of Texans had no health insurance, the highest of any state. Starr County, on the Rio Grande, ranks 88th of 3,144 U.S. counties on distress, and no Texas county is poorer.
- Score
- 90/100
- Data through
- September 2026
- Edition
- October 2026
Next edition expected March 2027
How Texas ranks among the states
Texas is the 6th most distressed of the 50 states and D.C., though Texans don’t owe more than other Americans. They carried $60,020 in household debt per person with a credit report at the end of 2025, against $63,200 nationwide (Federal Reserve Bank of New York). Yet a larger share of Texans have a debt in collections than people in any other state, and more fall behind on credit cards, car loans and mortgages than in most states (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, early 2025).
What drives the score
The score has four parts. Each part is built from one to three measures, each ranked against the other states on a scale of 0 to 100. The score isn’t the average of the parts: Texas’ average of the four is higher than 90% of the other states’ averages, so its score is 90.
- Late payments88In early 2025, 22.8% of Texans had a debt 90 or more days late, against 17.2% for the U.S.
- Jobs74Unemployment averaged 4.4% from June through August 2026, against 4.1% for the U.S. The separate August rate was 4.4%.
- Collections and bankruptcy69The largest share of people with a debt in collections of any state (early 2025); bankruptcy filings below the U.S. rate (2025)
- Renters’ housing costs62In 2024, 25.5% of renter households paid half or more of their income for housing, a little below the U.S. share
Beside its neighbors
Only Louisiana scores higher than Texas among its neighbors. New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas score lower.
- Louisiana 100
- Texas 90
- New Mexico 66
- Oklahoma 62
- Arkansas 58
State Distress Index score, 0 to 100. Of the five, Texas has the highest typical household income, $79,723 against $67,838 in New Mexico, the next highest. It also has the lowest poverty rate, 13.4% against 14.8% in Oklahoma, the next lowest (Census Bureau, 2024).
Which way it’s heading
At its worst
4th most distressed, in the second half of 2023 and again at the end of 2024, its highest rank since the chart begins in 2006. It ranks 6th today.
By early 2025
Tied for 6th most distressed, up from 34th in mid-2015, its least distressed point; it started the chart at 10th in 2006
Why it climbed
Mostly renters’ costs and jobs. From mid-2015 to early 2025, the renters’ costs part rose from 19 to 68 and the jobs part from 30 to 60. The other two rose less: late payments from 70 to 89, and collections and bankruptcy from 52 to 68.
Texas was the 34th most distressed state in mid-2015; by 2023 it was 4th
State Distress Index score, 0 to 100, each quarter, third quarter of 2006 to first quarter of 2025.
Texas county map: the poorest and most distressed counties
Starr County, on the Rio Grande, is both the poorest and the most distressed of Texas’ 254 counties. In 2024, 35.4% of its residents lived in poverty and the typical household earned $37,375, both the worst in Texas (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our County Distress Index, which scores every U.S. county on household financial distress, Starr ranks first in Texas and 88th of 3,144 counties nationwide. Somervell County, southwest of Fort Worth, is the least distressed in Texas. Lists built on a different Census survey or older years sometimes name another county as the poorest.
Distress runs highest in South Texas along the Mexican border and in East Texas, and lowest in the Hill Country and the Panhandle
County Distress Index score, 0 to 100, for Texas’ 254 counties, data through August 2026.
Loading the county map…
The county map could not be loaded. Every county is in the lists on this page.
Most distressed
| Rank | County | Score | Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starr | 97 | 35.4% |
| 2 | Dimmit | 95 | 28.5% |
| 3 | Liberty | 95 | 17.8% |
| 4 | Jim Wells | 95 | 22.8% |
| 5 | Kenedy | 94 | 15.5% |
| 6 | Zavala | 94 | 25.7% |
| 7 | Trinity | 94 | 16.8% |
| 8 | Jefferson | 94 | 21.3% |
| 9 | Marion | 92 | 21.0% |
| 10 | San Augustine | 92 | 20.4% |
Least distressed
| Rank | County | Score | Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | Kendall | 18 | 6.5% |
| 251 | Gillespie | 18 | 8.2% |
| 252 | Blanco | 16 | 8.0% |
| 253 | Somervell | 12 | 9.7% |
| 254 | Armstrong | 10 | 10.1% |
Rank in Texas, 1 = most distressed. Ranks come from unrounded scores, so counties showing the same score can rank differently. Kenedy County has so few residents that several of its credit measures are estimated. Poverty: share of residents in poverty, Census Bureau, 2024.
Every county, by score
Texas has 65 counties scoring 80 or more, and together they hold 32.3% of Texans. Harris County (Houston) is in that top group; Bexar County (San Antonio) and Dallas County fall just short, at 79 and 79. Tarrant County (Fort Worth) ranks 103rd in Texas, and Travis County (Austin) 226th.
65 score 80–100
Starr, Dimmit, Liberty, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Zavala, Trinity, Jefferson, Marion, San Augustine, Zapata, Duval, Hidalgo, Tyler, Nacogdoches, Cameron, Brooks, Henderson, Polk, Kleberg, El Paso, Maverick, Willacy, Bee, Crosby, Webb, Morris, Jim Hogg, Hale, Red River, Anderson, Uvalde, Gregg, Brown, Cass, Houston, Jones, Potter, Matagorda, Frio, San Jacinto, Refugio, Terry, Nolan, Nueces, Angelina, Hardeman, Shelby, Harris, Dickens, Swisher, San Patricio, Atascosa, Lamar, Orange, Victoria, Dawson, Bowie, Baylor, Newton, McCulloch, Limestone, Montague, Live Oak, Palo Pinto
44 score 70–79
Bexar, Walker, Hill, Dallas, Cochran, Jasper, Wood, Hunt, Bell, Ector, Coryell, Aransas, Robertson, Eastland, Floyd, Titus, Kaufman, Throckmorton, La Salle, Wilbarger, Motley, Upshur, Harrison, Val Verde, Cherokee, Stephens, DeWitt, Wichita, Karnes, McLennan, Rusk, Coleman, Navarro, Lubbock, Cottle, Hockley, Reeves, Tarrant, Ward, Caldwell, Grimes, Grayson, Garza, Deaf Smith
70 score 50–69
Hutchinson, Camp, Donley, Real, Hudspeth, Waller, Erath, Jack, Terrell, Sabine, Schleicher, Culberson, Taylor, Haskell, Van Zandt, Falls, Hall, Tom Green, Fannin, Johnson, Galveston, Pecos, Jackson, Panola, Lamb, Howard, Freestone, McMullen, Madison, Foard, Wharton, Smith, Goliad, Jeff Davis, Bosque, Mitchell, Gonzales, Milam, Hardin, Scurry, Ellis, Presidio, Hopkins, Childress, Bailey, Leon, Gray, Hamilton, Stonewall, Delta, Menard, Briscoe, Runnels, Brazos, Bastrop, Sutton, Medina, Concho, Austin, Callahan, Knox, Edwards, Kinney, Midland, Lampasas, Rains, Cooke, Colorado, Hood, Coke
54 score 30–49
Sterling, Moore, Collingsworth, Bandera, Kent, Andrews, Comanche, Brazoria, Oldham, Reagan, San Saba, Young, Wheeler, Castro, Montgomery, Fisher, Burleson, Chambers, Kimble, Clay, Hansford, Calhoun, Hays, Winkler, Martin, Lee, Wilson, Parker, Shackelford, Guadalupe, Yoakum, Parmer, Kerr, Washington, Crane, Wise, Fort Bend, Dallam, Franklin, Lynn, Upton, Borden, Roberts, Crockett, Gaines, Llano, Travis, Fayette, Mills, Denton, Hemphill, Rockwall, Sherman, Burnet
Poorest isn’t the same as most distressed
Our county score has five equal parts, and only one of them is poverty, income and health insurance; the other four are late payments, collections and bankruptcy, jobs, and housing costs. Hudspeth County, east of El Paso, has the 4th highest poverty rate in Texas, yet ranks 114th of 254 on distress: few of its working-age adults are out of work, and few renters pay half their income for housing. Liberty County, northeast of Houston, shows the reverse. Its poverty rate, 17.8%, is only tied for 63rd highest in the state, yet it is the third most distressed county in Texas, with late payments, jobs and housing costs all scoring high.
Downtown Rio Grande City, the Starr County seat, photographed in 2014. Starr County’s unemployment rate was 9.4% in August 2026, not adjusted for seasonal swings: tied for 11th highest of the 3,143 U.S. counties with an August rate (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, public domain.
Is Texas expensive to live in?
Not for housing, by national standards: the median rent in Texas is close to the U.S. median. A slightly smaller share of Texas renters spend half or more of their income on rent and utilities than renters nationwide (Census Bureau). Fewer Texans own their homes than people in most states. We don’t measure the prices of food and other everyday goods, property taxes or power bills, so we can’t rank the overall cost of living.
Median rent, a month
$1,403
U.S. $1,413
19th highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2020 to 2024
Renters paying half or more of income on housing
25.5%
U.S. 26.1%
19th highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2024
Homes lived in by their owners
62.6%
U.S. 65.2%
6th lowest of the 50 states and D.C., 2020 to 2024
A smaller share of Texas renters than U.S. renters pay half or more of their income for housing, in every year with data since 2005
Share of renter households spending half or more of their income on rent and utilities, Texas and the United States, each year from 2005 to 2024. There is no 2020 figure: the Census Bureau didn’t publish one.
What it takes to get by in Texas
MIT’s Living Wage Calculator estimates that a single adult with no children needs $45,290 a year before taxes to cover basic costs in Texas. That is the 17th lowest of the 50 states and D.C. Two working parents with two children need $101,697 (2025 dollars). The typical rent takes about a fifth of the typical household’s income, 21.1% in Texas against 20.8% nationwide (our calculation from Census Bureau figures).
Property taxes and home insurance, two costs Texans ask about often, aren’t in our data. Both have changed recently: voters raised the homestead exemption from school property taxes in November 2025, and in October 2026 the state’s insurance commissioner told lawmakers the average homeowners premium has risen sharply since 2020 (see what changed).
Owners and renters spending 30% or more on housing
| Measure | Texas | U.S. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeowners spending 30% or more of income on housing 16th highest | 22.4% U.S. 22.5% | 22.5% | 16th highest |
| Renters spending 30% or more of income on housing 12th highest | 48.5% U.S. 47.6% | 47.6% | 12th highest |
Ranks among the 50 states and D.C., highest first. Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024.
Is the Texas economy doing well?
It’s growing, but its jobless rate has slipped above the nation’s. Texas added 159,400 payroll jobs in the year to August 2026, a rise of 1.1% (Texas Workforce Commission). Its unemployment rate was 4.4% in August 2026 and has been above the U.S. rate since June. A year earlier, in August 2025, it was 4.2%, below the U.S. rate of 4.3% (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Unemployment rate
4.4%
U.S. 4.1%
Tied for 14th highest of the 50 states and D.C., August 2026
Income per person
$69,823
U.S. $73,204
25th highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2024
Payroll jobs
14,469,300
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, Texas Workforce Commission
The Texas unemployment rate moved above the nation’s in June 2026, after running at or below it from February 2025 to May 2026
Unemployment rate, Texas and the United States, each month, January 1990 to August 2026. No figures for October 2025, during the federal shutdown.
Is Texas still growing?
Yes, faster than almost any state. Texas had 31,709,821 residents in 2025. It gained 391,243 people from 2024 to 2025, the most of any state, and has grown 8.5% since 2020, tied for 3rd highest among the 50 states and D.C. (Census Bureau). We don’t track why people move.
What Texans earn
Income per person, which counts wages, business income, investments and benefit checks, is a little below the national figure (Bureau of Economic Analysis). Wages make up a slightly larger share of that income in Texas than nationwide, 50.1% against 49.7%, and government benefits such as Social Security and Medicaid a smaller one, 15.3% against 18.3%. We don’t track average pay by job.
Jobless rates in selected counties
| County | Rate |
|---|---|
| Starr | 9.4% |
| Kenedy | 8.1% |
| Dimmit | 7.2% |
| Maverick | 7.1% |
| Sabine | 7.0% |
| Harris | 5.0% |
| Bexar | 4.6% |
| Dallas | 4.5% |
| Tarrant | 4.4% |
| Travis | 3.9% |
Unemployment rate in selected counties, August 2026, not adjusted for seasonal swings. The first five are the highest in Texas. Loving County’s rate, 0.7%, was the lowest. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For the size of the Texas economy, its gross domestic product, see the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Unemployment benefit claims are filed with the Texas Workforce Commission.
Is Texas poor?
Not by income, but a larger share of Texans live in poverty than Americans overall. The typical Texas household earned close to the U.S. median in 2024, yet the poverty rate was higher than in most states (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). Texas also has the largest share of people without health insurance of any state.
Residents in poverty
13.4%
U.S. 12.1%
Tied for 11th highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2024
Median household income
$79,723
U.S. $81,604
26th highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2024
Residents without health insurance
17.1%
U.S. 8.4%
Highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2020 to 2024
The Texas poverty rate has been above the nation’s in every estimate since 1989, though by less than in the 1990s
Share of residents in poverty, Texas and the United States, 1989 to 2024. The Census Bureau’s estimates skip some years before 1997.
The most uninsured state
Texans were about twice as likely as Americans overall to have no health insurance from 2020 to 2024 (Census Bureau, American Community Survey). Texas is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid, the public health coverage program, to more low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act (KFF, a health policy research group, October 2026).
Fewer Texans get food help than are officially poor
In June 2026, 9.0% of Texans got SNAP food benefits, below both the U.S. share of 10.7% and the state’s poverty rate. The number getting help was down 18.7% from a year earlier (U.S. Department of Agriculture). Fewer people getting help doesn’t mean less need. New federal work rules for SNAP began in Texas in December 2025. Adults without dependents must work or attend a work program at least 80 hours a month. Parents of a child 14 or older must do so 30 hours a week (Texas Tribune). The state agency that runs SNAP calls the drop a normal fluctuation; food banks tie it to the new rules (see what changed).
| Measure | Texas | U.S. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| People getting SNAP, June 2026 | 2,810,903 | ||
| Children in poverty, 2024 Tied for 12th highest | 17.9% U.S. 15.5% | 15.5% | Tied for 12th highest |
| Adults without a high school diploma, 2020 to 2024 2nd highest | 14.0% U.S. 10.4% | 10.4% | 2nd highest |
Ranks among the 50 states and D.C. SNAP: USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Children in poverty: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Schooling: Census Bureau, American Community Survey. To apply for SNAP or Medicaid in Texas: YourTexasBenefits →
What changed in Texas in the past year
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Oct. 5, 2026
Lawmakers take up rising home insurance costs
Texas Insurance Commissioner Amanda Crawford told the Texas House Insurance Committee that the average homeowners premium rose from under $2,000 in 2020 to over $3,500 in 2026. The Legislature next meets in January, and Gov. Greg Abbott wants it to address insurance costs.
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July 16, 2026
A second flood hits Kerr County
Flooding along creeks that feed the Guadalupe River killed one person in Kerr County, a year after the July 2025 flood there. Early damage counts showed 47 buildings destroyed and 310 more badly damaged. As of late July, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had approved aid only for emergency work such as search and rescue, not for households or local governments.
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June 10, 2026
The governor tells regulators to keep data centers’ grid costs off home bills
Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT, which runs most of the state’s power grid, to make data centers pay in full for the grid upgrades built for them, so the cost isn’t passed to home customers. The order set deadlines in July; whether they were met hasn’t been reported in the sources we read.
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Jan. 1, 2026
Larger federal health plan credits end
The larger federal tax credits for marketplace health plans expired after Dec. 31, 2025. Texans still signed up for a record 4.17 million plans for 2026. But paid enrollment, which counts people who paid their premiums, fell 4% in February, from 3.42 million in 2025 to 3.28 million, the first drop since 2019, in provisional federal figures.
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December 2025
New work rules for SNAP food help
Under the federal budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, more adults getting SNAP must work or attend a work program at least 80 hours a month to keep their benefits. The state agency that runs SNAP calls the drop in people getting benefits a normal fluctuation; Feeding Texas, the state’s food bank network, and Every Texan, a policy group, tie it to the new rules and to immigrant families’ fears (see the numbers).
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Nov. 4, 2025
Voters raise the homestead exemption
Texas voters approved two constitutional amendments put on the ballot by the 2025 Legislature. Proposition 13 raised the homestead exemption from school property taxes from $100,000 to $140,000 of a home’s value. Proposition 11 raised it to $200,000 for homeowners 65 and older or with disabilities.
Texans are more likely to be behind on their bills than people in most states
In early 2025, 22.8% of Texans had a debt 90 or more days late, the 5th highest share of the 50 states and D.C., against 17.2% for the U.S. (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia). The national figure is our population-weighted average of the states. This is household debt, not state government debt.
Ranks among the 50 states and D.C., 1 = highest share: collections 1st, card 8th, auto 7th, mortgage tied for 3rd. The U.S. figure is our population-weighted average of the states.
The share of Texans with a debt in collections, 20.2% in early 2025, was higher still at the end of 2019: 29.6%. Part of the fall since then reflects what credit reports count, not fewer Texans struggling to pay. In 2022, the three big credit bureaus said they would stop reporting certain medical debts. Nationwide, the share of people with a medical collection on their credit record fell from 14% in March 2022 to 5% in June 2023 (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). The Texas share fell fastest in that stretch and has edged up since mid-2023.
Homeowners with little cushion
Texas has the largest share of mortgages with less than 10% equity of any state: 9.4% in the second quarter of 2026, about twice the U.S. share of 4.7% (Federal Housing Finance Agency). Equity is what the home is worth minus what’s owed on it. A homeowner with little equity has less room to sell the home and pay off the loan if payments fall behind.
| Measure | Texas | U.S. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgages owing more than the home is worth, 2nd quarter of 2026 Tied for 2nd highest | 0.6% U.S. 0.3% | 0.3% | Tied for 2nd highest |
| Mortgages 30 to 89 days late, Sept. 2025 Tied for 5th highest | 2.3% U.S. 1.6% | 1.6% | Tied for 5th highest |
| People with a credit score under 620, early 2025 5th highest | 18.8% U.S. 13.8% | 13.8% | 5th highest |
Ranks among the 50 states and D.C. Mortgages owing more than the home is worth: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Mortgages 30 to 89 days late, an early stage of falling behind: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Credit scores: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; the U.S. figure is our population-weighted average of the states.
A second measure: dollars behind
The New York Fed measures something different: the share of the money owed, not of people, that is 90 or more days late. By that count, Texas card balances are among the most behind in the country, tied for 3rd highest among the 50 states and D.C. at the end of 2025, and the share has risen since 2019, as the table shows.
| Loan type | Texas | U.S. | Texas 2019 | U.S. 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card | 14.2% End of 2025 U.S. 12.4% Texas 2019 9.2% · U.S. 2019 8.1% | 12.4% | 9.2% | 8.1% |
| Auto loan | 5.8% End of 2025 U.S. 5.2% Texas 2019 5.8% · U.S. 2019 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.8% | 4.9% |
| Mortgage | 1.2% End of 2025 U.S. 0.9% Texas 2019 0.9% · U.S. 2019 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% |
Share of balances 90 or more days past due, end of 2025 and end of 2019. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. It counts dollars, not people, so it can’t be compared with the Philadelphia Fed figures above.
Card debt per person
Texans carried $4,620 of credit card debt per person with a credit report at the end of 2025. That was a little above $4,350 nationally and the 15th highest among the 50 states and D.C. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York).
How foreclosure works in Texas
Texas foreclosures move fast. Homes that finished foreclosure in the second quarter of 2026 took 155 days on average from the start of the process to completion, against 563 days nationwide (ATTOM, a property data company). Most Texas foreclosures happen without a court. For a home you live in, the mortgage company must first send a notice by certified mail giving at least 20 days to catch up on the past-due amount. If the loan isn’t caught up, the notice of sale must go out at least 21 days before the sale, which is held at the county courthouse on the first Tuesday of the month (Texas Property Code 51.002). There is no right to buy the home back after the sale.
- Goes through a court
- Usually not
- Time to catch up after the default notice
- At least 20 days
- Notice before the sale
- At least 21 days
- Sale day
- First Tuesday monthly
- Right to buy the home back after the sale
- No
- Lender can sue for the balance left after the sale
- Yes, with limits
- Home value protected from most creditors (homestead)
- No dollar cap
- Statewide foreclosure mediation
- No
What the law says. Sources: Texas Property Code 51.002, 51.003 and Chapter 41; Texas Constitution Article XVI. How foreclosure works in Texas →
Texas’ share of the federal Homeowner Assistance Fund, run as TX HAF, helped 63,188 households with mortgage and other housing costs and spent 99.8% of its $842.2 million (U.S. Treasury, through early 2026). It no longer takes applications.
Bankruptcy filings in Texas keep rising
Texans filed 38,066 bankruptcy cases in 2025, up 20.8% from 2024 and the most in any year since 2013 (U.S. Courts). Filings have risen every year since 2021. Even so, the Texas rate, 121.7 filings for every 100,000 residents, is below the U.S. rate of 167.1 and the 22nd lowest of the 50 states and D.C.
| Year | Filings |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 34,386 |
| 2019 | 35,069 |
| 2020 | 26,723 |
| 2021 | 19,762 |
| 2022 | 20,121 |
| 2023 | 25,671 |
| 2024 | 31,520 |
| 2025 | 38,066 |
Bankruptcy cases filed in Texas’ federal courts each calendar year. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-2.
Texans’ most common mortgage complaint is trouble with the payment process
Texans have sent 29,337 mortgage complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau since 2012. The most common were about trouble during the payment process (9,095), struggling to pay the mortgage (4,646), and loan servicing, payments or escrow (4,549).
- Oct. 9, 2026 Rocket Mortgage Payment process Closed with explanation
- Oct. 3, 2026 Rocket Mortgage Struggling to pay: an existing modification, forbearance or other relief Closed with explanation
- Oct. 2, 2026 Towne Mortgage Company Struggling to pay: trouble fixing a problem with a modification, forbearance or foreclosure In progress
- Oct. 2, 2026 Truist Financial Escrow, taxes or insurance Closed with explanation
- Oct. 2, 2026 Shellpoint / NewRez Fees charged In progress
- Oct. 2, 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union Struggling to pay: an existing modification, forbearance or other relief In progress
- Oct. 1, 2026 Carrington Mortgage Escrow, taxes or insurance In progress
- Oct. 1, 2026 Ocwen / Onity Group Escrow, taxes or insurance In progress
- Oct. 1, 2026 PennyMac Escrow, taxes or insurance Closed with explanation
- Oct. 1, 2026 Carrington Mortgage Struggling to pay: an existing modification, forbearance or other relief In progress
The ten most recent Texas complaints about paying a mortgage or getting help with one, not about getting a new loan, newest first, from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s public complaint record as of Oct. 14, 2026. Complaints that name a credit reporting company are left out. Each is one person’s account, which the bureau doesn’t verify. See all Texas mortgage complaints at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau →
What to watch before the next edition
The first two bring new job figures for this page; the last two start the Legislature’s next session.
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Oct. 16, 2026
September jobs figures for Texas
The Texas Workforce Commission is scheduled to publish September’s jobs numbers and unemployment rate. In August, the state had 14,469,300 payroll jobs.
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Oct. 20, Nov. 20 and Dec. 18, 2026
New state jobless rates
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes state unemployment rates for September on Oct. 20, for October on Nov. 20 and for November on Dec. 18. The Texas rate was 4.4% in August.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sept. 18, 2026 release; release schedule
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Nov. 9, 2026
Bill filing opens for the next Legislature
Lawmakers can begin filing bills for the 2027 session.
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Jan. 12, 2027
The Legislature convenes
The 90th Legislature opens its regular session, which can run to May 31, 2027. Gov. Greg Abbott wants lawmakers to address home insurance costs (see what changed).
Texas Legislative Council, Dates of Interest; Texas Policy Research; Fox 4, Oct. 5, 2026
Where Texas ranks highest and lowest
| Measure | Texas | U.S. | Rank | Latest data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Distress Index score 6th highest · Aug. 2026 | 90 | 6th highest | Aug. 2026 | |
| People with a debt in collections Highest · Early 2025 | 20.2% U.S. 13.2% | 13.2% | Highest | Early 2025 |
| Residents without health insurance Highest · 2024* | 17.1% U.S. 8.4% | 8.4% | Highest | 2024* |
| Mortgages with less than 10% equity Highest · Q2 2026 | 9.4% U.S. 4.7% | 4.7% | Highest | Q2 2026 |
| Adults without a high school diploma 2nd highest · 2024* | 14.0% U.S. 10.4% | 10.4% | 2nd highest | 2024* |
| Population growth since 2020 Tied for 3rd highest · 2025 | 8.5% | Tied for 3rd highest | 2025 | |
| Card balances 90+ days late Tied for 3rd highest · End of 2025 | 14.2% U.S. 12.4% | 12.4% | Tied for 3rd highest | End of 2025 |
| Card borrowers 90+ days late 8th highest · Early 2025 | 16.8% U.S. 13.5% | 13.5% | 8th highest | Early 2025 |
| Mortgages 30 to 89 days late Tied for 5th highest · Sept. 2025 | 2.3% U.S. 1.6% | 1.6% | Tied for 5th highest | Sept. 2025 |
| Residents in poverty Tied for 11th highest · 2024 | 13.4% U.S. 12.1% | 12.1% | Tied for 11th highest | 2024 |
| Unemployment rate, three-month average Tied for 14th highest · June–August 2026 | 4.4% U.S. 4.1% | 4.1% | Tied for 14th highest | June–August 2026 |
| Household debt per person with a credit report 24th highest · End of 2025 | $60,020 U.S. $63,200 | $63,200 | 24th highest | End of 2025 |
| Median household income 26th highest · 2024 | $79,723 U.S. $81,604 | $81,604 | 26th highest | 2024 |
| Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 22nd lowest · 2025 | 121.7 U.S. 167.1 | 167.1 | 22nd lowest | 2025 |
| Homes lived in by their owners 6th lowest · 2024* | 62.6% U.S. 65.2% | 65.2% | 6th lowest | 2024* |
“Highest” and “lowest” mean among the 50 states and D.C. * Census five-year survey, 2020 to 2024. The collections and card borrower U.S. figures are our population-weighted averages of the states. Sources for each measure are in Sources and method. Download this table: CSV.
Questions about Texas
What is the poorest county in Texas?
Starr County, in the Rio Grande Valley on the Mexican border. In 2024, 35.4% of its residents lived in poverty, and its typical household earned $37,375, both the worst of Texas’ 254 counties (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is also the most distressed county in Texas on our County Distress Index.
What is the richest county in Texas?
Among Texas’ large counties, Collin County, north of Dallas, has the highest typical household income, $124,920 in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau). The Census Bureau’s estimate for tiny Loving County, in West Texas, is slightly higher, $128,055, but estimates for very small counties are less certain. Williamson County, north of Austin, has the lowest poverty rate in Texas, 5.4%.
Where does Texas rank on cost of living?
We don’t measure prices, so we don’t rank overall living costs. On housing, the median Texas rent, $1,403 a month, is the 19th highest of the 50 states and D.C. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 to 2024). MIT’s Living Wage Calculator puts what a single adult needs to cover basic costs in Texas at $45,290 a year before taxes, the 17th lowest of the 50 states and D.C. (2025 dollars).
What salary is needed to live comfortably in Texas?
We don’t measure “comfortable.” MIT’s Living Wage Calculator estimates the bare minimum to cover basic costs in Texas: $45,290 a year before taxes for a single adult with no children, and $101,697 for two working parents with two children (2025 dollars). The typical Texas household earned $79,723 in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau).
Is the Texas economy doing well?
It is growing: Texas added 159,400 payroll jobs in the year to August 2026 (Texas Workforce Commission) and gained 391,243 residents from 2024 to 2025, the most of any state (U.S. Census Bureau). Its unemployment rate, 4.4% in August 2026, was above the U.S. rate of 4.1% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
How many counties are in Texas?
Texas has 254 counties, more than any other state; Georgia, next, has 159. Each is scored and ranked on our County Distress Index; see all 254 Texas counties, ranked, or the county map above.
What is the poverty line in Texas?
The 2026 federal poverty guideline in Texas is $15,960 a year for one person and $33,000 for a family of four, the same as in every state but Alaska and Hawaii (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
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State Distress Index
Texas
6thmost distressed state
of the 50 states and D.C.
More distressed than 90% of the other states and D.C.
Texas is the 6th most distressed of the 50 states and D.C. on the State Distress Index, American Default Research’s measure of household financial distress. Its typical household income, $79,723 in 2024, is close to the U.S. median (U.S. Census Bureau). Yet in early 2025, 20.2% of Texans had a debt in collections, the highest share of any state (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia). From 2020 to 2024, 17.1% of Texans had no health insurance, also the highest of any state (U.S. Census Bureau).
Questions, interviews or a custom cut of the data: press@americandefault.org
Sources and method
We gather the data, run the numbers and research each state ourselves.
This edition: October 2026 · Next edition expected March 2027
- Late payments, collections, credit scoresFederal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Consumer Credit Explorerearly 2025 and end of 2019
- Household debt and dollars behindFederal Reserve Bank of New York, Consumer Credit Panel / Equifaxend of 2019 and end of 2025
- Mortgages with little or no equityFederal Housing Finance Agency, National Mortgage Databasesecond quarter of 2026
- Mortgages 30 to 89 days late; mortgage complaints; medical debts on credit reportsConsumer Financial Protection Bureau: Mortgage Performance Trends; complaint database; Recent changes in medical collections on consumer credit recordsSept. 2025; Oct. 14, 2026; March 2022 to June 2023
- Bankruptcy filingsU.S. Courts, Table F-22018 to 2025
- Unemployment, state, county and nationalU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment StatisticsJan. 1990 to Aug. 2026
- Payroll jobsTexas Workforce CommissionAug. 2026
- Poverty and incomeCensus Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates1989 to 2024
- Renters paying half or more of income on housingCensus Bureau, American Community Survey, 1-year2005 to 2024
- Rent, homeownership, housing costs, schooling, health insurance, ageCensus Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-year2020 to 2024
- PopulationCensus Bureau, population estimates2020 to 2025
- Income per person and its sourcesBureau of Economic Analysis2024
- SNAPU.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition AdministrationJune 2026
- Medicaid expansionKFFOctober 2026
- Cost of getting byMIT Living Wage Calculator2025 dollars
- Foreclosure timelinesATTOM, U.S. Foreclosure Market Reportsecond quarter of 2026
- Mortgage help fundU.S. Treasury, Homeowner Assistance Fundthrough early 2026
- Foreclosure lawTexas Property Code, Chapter 51 and Chapter 41as of 2026
- Poverty guidelineU.S. Department of Health and Human Services2026
- Housing counselorsU.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentOctober 2026
- What changed and what to watchTexas Tribune, KSAT, CBS News Texas, Fox 4, Office of the Texas Governor, Texas Legislative Council, Texas Policy Research; each item links the page it was read on (see what changed)Nov. 2025 to Jan. 2027
- County photoCarol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons2014
The score has four equal parts: late payments; collections and bankruptcy; jobs; and renters’ housing costs. Each measure is ranked against the 50 states and D.C., and the score is the share of the other 50 that Texas is more distressed than. The full method →
We write with AI tools, and Ross Kilburn checks and reviews every page before it's published.
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Thanks, that helps.