Benefit checks make up 40 cents of every dollar of income in Washington County, Maine
In Washington County, 39.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 81.0. Unemployment averaged 5.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.7.
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: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (34.9, 2025) and people with a credit card behind (3.0%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 75.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.2% · 202471st percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.7% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability22.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance9.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,611 · 202481st percentile
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- 74.1 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.5% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 27.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.0% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 26.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.0% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people34.9 · 20254th 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, 26.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Maine
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washington County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 39.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Washington County, Maine, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 20.0%. 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, Maine.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest rise, from 32,440 in 1974 to 35,397 in 1979.
Washington County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1994 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 35,427 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Maine.
The number of jobs located in Washington County had its largest drop, from 11,243 in 2005 to 10,266 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Washington County fell 13% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 12,074 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Maine.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.3% | 2024 16.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,004 | 2024 $55,611 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Washington County's history
1789
Established on June 25, 1789. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 45,232. The 2020 Census counted 31,095, 69% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1970
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
Washington County scores higher than all three counties that border it. Of the group, Washington County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (39.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, ME | 60 | 16.2% | 39.7% |
| Aroostook County, ME | 54 | 14.9% | 35.3% |
| Penobscot County, ME | 44 | 14.2% | 27.7% |
| Hancock County, ME | 30 | 10.3% | 22.8% |
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 Maine?
Yes, Washington County's poverty rate was 16.2% in 2024, the highest of 16 counties in Maine (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Washington County ranks 1st of 16 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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Pine Tree Legal Assistance
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 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.