About one in four people in Washington Parish, Louisiana, has a disability
In Washington Parish, 25.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington Parish's score
In Washington Parish, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 90.6. About three in five people (59.1%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 85.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington Parish: 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 Parish does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.2%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.8% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score59.1% · second quarter of 202695th percentile
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- 85.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.0% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people200.6 · 202575th percentile
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- 83.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.5% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 82.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.6% · 202496th percentile
- Children below the poverty line29.4% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability25.3% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,951 · 202495th percentile
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- 52.5 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 rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th 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 Parish 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 Parish, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washington Parish, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 41.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Washington Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washington Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 27.5% in 2018 to 24.9% in 2019.
The share of households in Washington Parish getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 28.2%, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 23.5% in 2020. 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 Parish, Louisiana.
How Washington Parish has changed
Washington Parish's population rose 7% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 2004 and 2009
High on the chart: 47,262 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in Washington Parish rose most sharply from its first year (9,962 in 1990) to 11,849 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Washington Parish was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 7% since
High on the chart: 11,849 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.4% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 31.2% | 2024 25.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,158 | 2024 $46,951 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Washington Parish's history
1819
Formed in 1819 by splitting off from St. Tammany Parish. Wikipedia
1907
Unionization confrontations in early 20th century; companies hired private militia to suppress activities. Wikipedia
1938
Great Southern Lumber Company closed sawmill in 1938. Wikipedia
1997
A thunderstorm in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in December 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 47,168. The 2020 Census counted 45,463, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A flash flood in March 2016 did $1.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in August 2016 did $4.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
41 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington Parish, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington Parish beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Washington Parish, in Louisiana and Mississippi, one scores higher. Of the group, Washington Parish gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (41.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County, MS | 98 | 21.4% | 39.1% |
| Washington Parish, LA | 94 | 25.6% | 41.4% |
| Tangipahoa Parish, LA | 93 | 19.4% | 29.8% |
| Walthall County, MS | 91 | 22.3% | 39.2% |
| Marion County, MS | 86 | 19.8% | 37.9% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 76 | 16.5% | 30.2% |
| St. Tammany Parish, LA | 50 | 10.2% | 17.2% |
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 Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Washington Parish's poverty rate was 25.6% in 2024, 12th highest of 64 in Louisiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is East Carroll Parish, at 44.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Washington Parish ranks 23rd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington Parish
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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Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
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 Washington Parish · 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 Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.