About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Washington County, Alabama, are not working
In Washington County, 27.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 83% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 86.2. Bankruptcy filings ran at 366.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 81.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Washington County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (6.3%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.3% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people366.1 · 202594th percentile
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- 81.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.9% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
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- 62.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.8% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.8% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,645 · 202471st percentile
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- 53.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.7% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 16.1 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent6.3% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Washington County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Washington County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washington County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 34.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Washington County, Alabama, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.5% in 2011 to 16.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 13.8%
Low on the chart: 10.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Washington County, Alabama.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest drop, from 16,586 in 2014 to 15,667 in 2019.
Washington County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 18,003 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Alabama.
The number of jobs located in Washington County had its largest rise in the last span, from 3,454 in 2020 to 5,356 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Washington County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 3,454 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Alabama.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.8% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.3% | 2024 17.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,025 | 2024 $59,645 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Washington County's history
1800
Organized June 4, 1800 from the Tombigbee District of the Mississippi Territory. Wikipedia
1979
Hurricane Frederic damage, disaster area declared. Wikipedia
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 18,097. The 2020 Census counted 15,388, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
2003
Hail in May 2003 did $1.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A tornado in January 2009 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $2 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Washington County, in Alabama and Mississippi, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washington County ranks 3rd of the seven; Choctaw County is highest, at 39.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, MS | 94 | 22.0% | 33.7% |
| Choctaw County, AL | 93 | 21.9% | 39.2% |
| Clarke County, AL | 91 | 17.8% | 35.7% |
| Wayne County, MS | 91 | 21.3% | 32.1% |
| Mobile County, AL | 90 | 16.7% | 27.2% |
| Washington County, AL | 66 | 17.8% | 34.9% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 43 | 10.5% | 22.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Washington County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 33rd highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Washington County ranks 48th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
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Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Lawyer referral
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Washington County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Washington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.