About one in four people in Washington County, Missouri, has a disability
In Washington County, 23.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 81.2. Late payments on loans come next, at 78.0.
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 one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (12.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.0% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.4% · 202480th percentile
- People with a disability23.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,645 · 202483rd percentile
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- 78.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.8% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.4% · second quarter of 202678th percentile
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- 76.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.8% · August 202587th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people165.7 · 202565th percentile
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- 70.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment 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 working25.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 38.1 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 rent12.7% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th 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, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Missouri
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 38.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Washington County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.7%; 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 drop, from 25.6% in 2015 to 22.4% in 2016.
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 19.1% in 2021. 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, Missouri.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest rise, from 21,400 in 1994 to 23,067 in 1999.
Washington County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23,583
High on the chart: 25,111 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Missouri.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Washington County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 5,106 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.4% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.9% | 2024 18.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,829 | 2024 $54,645 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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
1798
Large-scale lead mining operations by Moses Austin from 1798. Wikipedia
1822
Desloge lead mining and smelting business established 1822, relocated to Bonne Terre and Desloge. Wikipedia
1957
A tornado in May 1957 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1967
A tornado in December 1967 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1969
A tornado in June 1969 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in November 1984 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 25,195. The 2020 Census counted 23,514, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Washington County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washington County ranks 2nd of the six; Iron County is highest, at 47.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County, MO | 82 | 18.2% | 47.1% |
| Washington County, MO | 81 | 18.0% | 38.7% |
| St. Francois County, MO | 73 | 14.6% | 34.0% |
| Crawford County, MO | 59 | 15.1% | 31.9% |
| Franklin County, MO | 31 | 9.0% | 24.0% |
| Jefferson County, MO | 27 | 9.3% | 21.9% |
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 Washington County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 18.0% in 2024, 19th highest of 115 in Missouri (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Dunklin County, at 25.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Washington County ranks 13th of 115 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 of Eastern Missouri
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.