Tarrant County, Texas

County Distress Index: Serious · 72.6 | 2,182,947 people · 39th most distressed in Texas
American Default Research

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Tarrant County is Fort Worth — Dallas's neighbor, Texas's third-largest county, and a place where the low-cost-of-living narrative meets the debt data. Income & Poverty scores 23.2. Household income is strong. Employment & Wages: 43.3. Moderate. The composite looks manageable at 56.6, Elevated. Then the Debt & Delinquency domain registers at 77.1. Medical debt in collections sits at the 90.4th percentile. Debt in collections overall: 84.4th. Auto loan delinquency: 76th. Credit card delinquency: 71.2nd. Tarrant County's distress signature is almost entirely a debt story, not an income story. The county's uninsured rate — 91.6th percentile — connects the dots. Without insurance, medical events become debt events. That debt goes to collections. The collections rate drives the composite. Income alone doesn't explain financial health when the safety net has gaps this wide. Tarrant ranks 1,101st nationally and 143rd among Texas's 254 counties. Next door, Dallas County scores 60.3. Johnson County to the south: 54.2. Parker County, more rural and wealthier: 44.9. The DFW metro corridor registers Elevated across its urban core, with distress dropping only as you move into the exurbs. For a county of 2.2 million people, the gap between the income data and the collections data is the story the composite partially obscures.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five statistically derived factors of household financial distress, PCA-weighted. Tarrant County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 91.3 — worse than roughly 91% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 91.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 96
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 85
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 93
Homeownership Rate 94
Consumer Credit Distress 81.0
Debt in Collections 84
Medical Debt 90
Auto Loan Delinquency 76
Credit Card Delinquency 71
Uninsured Rate 92
Subprime Credit Population 80
Legal Distress 69.4
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 69
Economic Vitality 66.3
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 73
Rent-to-Income Ratio 84
Business Formation Rate 12
House Price Change (YoY) 84
Structural Poverty 18.4
Unemployment Rate 45
Poverty Rate 29
Income vs. State Median 9
Child Poverty Rate 31
Disability Rate 6
Transfer Income Dependency 5

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.

Neighbors and Peers

Neighboring Counties

CountyScoreZonevs. Tarrant County
Tarrant County, TX 72.6 Serious —
Dallas County, TX 73.7 Serious +1.1
Johnson County, TX 69.9 Serious -2.7
Ellis County, TX 68.6 Serious -4.0
Denton County, TX 56.5 Elevated -16.1
Parker County, TX 55.0 Elevated -17.6
Wise County, TX 54.0 Elevated -18.6

Population Peers

CountyScoreZonevs. Tarrant County
Bexar County, TX 73.2 Serious +0.6
Philadelphia County, PA 73.5 Serious +1.0
Hillsborough County, FL 71.5 Serious -1.1
Dallas County, TX 73.7 Serious +1.1
Orange County, FL 73.9 Serious +1.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Tarrant County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Tarrant County.

CREDIT.ORG - ARLINGTON, TX BRANCH
Arlington
817-583-7111 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingPre-PurchaseHomebuyer Education
FORT WORTH AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC
Fort Worth
817-926-9219-128 Website
Financial CounselingPre-PurchaseHomebuyer Education
HISPANIC REAL ESTATE BROKERS ASSOCIATION
Arlington
682-348-4481 Website
Pre-PurchaseHomebuyer Education
HOUSING CHANNEL
Fort Worth
817-924-5091 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFinancial CounselingPost-Purchase
HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES OF FORT WORTH
Fort Worth
817-923-9192 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingPre-PurchaseReverse Mortgage

See all counselors in Texas →

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 Tarrant 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.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Texas →

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Tarrant County has a County Distress Index score of 72.6 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 289th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 39th in Texas out of 254 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Tarrant County?

    The primary driver of distress in Tarrant County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 91.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Tarrant County compare to neighboring counties?

    Tarrant County (72.6) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Dallas County, TX (73.7); Johnson County, TX (69.9); Ellis County, TX (68.6).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses PCA-weighted percentile scoring across five statistically derived factors: Consumer Credit Distress (47.5%), Housing Cost Burden (22.3%), Structural Poverty (13.6%), Economic Vitality (9.2%), and Legal Distress (7.4%). 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.

  • How often is the CDI updated?

    Annually, aligned to Census American Community Survey and Urban Institute Debt in America release windows — the slowest-moving source inputs. Between annual refreshes, faster-cadence indicators (BLS unemployment, QCEW wages) may drive light mid-year updates if a specific component moves meaningfully. Current data compiled April 14, 2026; next full refresh early 2027.

  • What does the Serious zone mean?

    The CDI divides counties into five zones: Healthy (below 46), Normal (46–55), Elevated (55–71), Serious (71–86), and Crisis (86 and above). Tarrant County's score of 72.6 sits in the Serious zone (71–86).

  • What data sources power Tarrant County's CDI score?

    Tarrant County's CDI score draws on Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax credit-bureau panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS, QCEW), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Every number on this page traces to one of these public sources.

  • What is the population of Tarrant County?

    Tarrant County, Texas has a population of approximately 2,182,947 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.