Unemployment in Clearwater County, Idaho, is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Clearwater County, 6.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clearwater County's score
In Clearwater County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 72.2. Income and the safety net comes next, at 71.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clearwater 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.
Clearwater County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (0.8%, August 2025) and people with a credit card behind (2.4%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 71.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.2% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.7% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability24.0% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance11.2% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,225 · 202463rd percentile
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- 69.7 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 rent23.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
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- 46.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.3% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people141.1 · 202556th percentile
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- 14.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.4% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.8% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.1% · second quarter of 202633rd 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 Clearwater 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 Clearwater County, 29.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clearwater County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clearwater County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 37.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Clearwater County, Idaho, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 37.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clearwater County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.7% in 2012 to 9.2% in 2013.
The share of households in Clearwater County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 5.4% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clearwater County, Idaho.
How Clearwater County has changed
Clearwater County's population had its largest drop, from 10,010 in 1984 to 8,599 in 1989.
Clearwater County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2019, reaching 8,659, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 10,754 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clearwater County, Idaho.
The number of jobs located in Clearwater County had its largest drop, from 3,100 in 2005 to 2,844 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Clearwater County fell 15% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 3,230 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clearwater County, Idaho.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.1% | 2025 6.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.2% | 2024 15.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,193 | 2024 $62,225 |
The table uses 6.4% for 2025; the score uses 6.6% 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 Clearwater County's history
1860
Elias D. Pierce and Wilbur F. Bassett made first discovery of gold in Idaho on Orofino Creek in 1860. Wikipedia
1911
Established as a new county in 1911, previously part of Shoshone County and Nez Perce County. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 10,871. The 2020 Census counted 8,734, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
2017
A flood in March 2017 did $3,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Heavy rain in February 2018 did $1,500,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clearwater County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clearwater County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Clearwater County, in Idaho and Montana, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clearwater County ranks 2nd of the eight; Lewis County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoshone County, ID | 76 | 15.4% | 33.3% |
| Clearwater County, ID | 57 | 15.2% | 37.1% |
| Mineral County, MT | 48 | 12.6% | 33.9% |
| Lewis County, ID | 42 | 12.5% | 38.3% |
| Idaho County, ID | 26 | 14.0% | 32.3% |
| Latah County, ID | 22 | 17.3% | 17.8% |
| Nez Perce County, ID | 22 | 10.6% | 24.6% |
| Missoula County, MT | 18 | 9.2% | 15.9% |
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 Clearwater County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Clearwater County's poverty rate was 15.2% in 2024, 4th highest of 44 in Idaho (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Madison County, at 24.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Clearwater County ranks 4th of 44 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clearwater 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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Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc.
Legal aid
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Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program
Legal aid
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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 Clearwater 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 Clearwater County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.