About one in six people with a credit file in Lewis County, Idaho, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Lewis County, 16.8% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 75% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lewis County's score
In Lewis County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 74.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 16.5. People with a credit card behind: 0.0%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lewis 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.
Even so, Lewis County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (24.0%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (27.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.5% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 66.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.4% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability24.0% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,384 · 202469th percentile
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- 44.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.8% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people160.5 · 202563rd percentile
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- 24.9 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 rent6.7% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
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- 16.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.6% · second quarter of 202639th 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 Lewis 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 Lewis County, 28.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lewis County
Idaho
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lewis County rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 8.3% in 1974 to 18.6% in 1979.
In Lewis County, benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the bars shown, but pay leads in 2024
In Lewis County, Idaho, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lewis County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.1% in 2019 to 10.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Lewis County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 6.3% 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, Lewis County, Idaho.
How Lewis County has changed
Lewis County's population had its largest drop, from 4,342 in 1979 to 3,837 in 1984.
Lewis County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 4,342 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lewis County, Idaho.
The number of jobs located in Lewis County made its largest gain on the way to its 2015 high, from 1,406 in 2010 to 1,602 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Lewis County rose 39% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 1,602 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lewis County, Idaho.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.9% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,343 | 2024 $60,384 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Lewis County's history
1895
U.S. government opened reservation for white settlement in November 1895 with proclamation by President Cleveland. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 5,851. The 2020 Census counted 3,533, 60% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lewis County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lewis County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Lewis County, one scores higher. Of the group, Lewis County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater County, ID | 57 | 15.2% | 37.1% |
| Lewis County, ID | 42 | 12.5% | 38.3% |
| Idaho County, ID | 26 | 14.0% | 32.3% |
| Nez Perce County, ID | 22 | 10.6% | 24.6% |
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 Lewis County the poorest county in Idaho?
No, Lewis County's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, 17th 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, Lewis County ranks 7th of 44 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lewis 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.
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 Lewis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.