These Are the 7 Poorest Counties to Live in Texas

The amount of money people are earning is increasing quickly in the United States. In 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the average income for households across the country was almost $75,000. This is an increase from around $69,700 in 2021. The increase of 7.2% was the biggest compared to any other year since at least the mid-1990s.

The average American household is earning more money than in the past, but these increases in income have not kept up with inflation. In 2022, the average rate of inflation was 8%, which is the highest it has been in 40 years. This is four times higher than the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%. Considering the increasing cost of living, the actual amount of money people earned in the U.S. decreased by almost 5% from 2019 to 2022.

Although everyone has been affected by rising prices, Americans with lower incomes have been hit the hardest. When prices are going up a lot, wealthy Americans can spend less money and lessen the effect of the higher costs. On the other hand, Americans with lower incomes, who have to spend more of their money on things like food, housing, and gas, are unable to do so.

Texas has a relatively high-earning population, with a median household income of $73,035. However, in many areas of the state, the average household income is much lower than the median income for the entire state.

Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey, 24/7 Wall St. has found the 35 counties in Texas with the lowest income levels. Counties in the state are organized based on the average income of households. The population, poverty, and unemployment data are estimates for a five-year period from the 2022 ACS.

On this list, the median household incomes of the counties range from around $25,300 to almost $45,700 below the median income of the entire state. Many of these counties have a lot of poverty, which shows that people there are struggling financially. In all but two counties on this list, more than 13.9% of residents live below the poverty line, which is higher than the statewide poverty rate.