In Washoe County, Nevada, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Washoe County, 24.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washoe County's score
In Washoe County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 79.7. About one in four renters (23.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 80% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 60.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washoe 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.
Washoe County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($91,178, 2024) and people below the poverty line (9.4%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 60.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.0% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people173.7 · 202567th percentile
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- 45.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.8% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.0% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
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- 27.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.4% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.7% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability12.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance9.9% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$91,178 · 20249th 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 Washoe 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 Washoe County, 17.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washoe County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Washoe County had its largest rise, from 8.6% in 2004 to 13.7% in 2009.
In Washoe County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 13.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Washoe County, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washoe County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.4% in 2011 to 7.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Washoe County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.5%
High on the chart: 10.7% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Washoe County, Nevada.
How Washoe County has changed
Washoe County's population had its largest rise, from 332,833 in 1999 to 382,777 in 2004.
Washoe County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 507,280, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 440,894. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washoe County, Nevada.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Washoe County nearly doubled to 243,154, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 243,154. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washoe County, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.4% | 2024 9.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,472 | 2024 $91,178 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Washoe County's history
1985
A thunderstorm in September 1985 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flood in December 2005 did $5.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in January 2017 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 486,492, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A flash flood in July 2025 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washoe County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washoe County beside its neighbors
Of the 13 counties that border Washoe County, in Nevada, Oregon and California, eight score higher. Of the group, Washoe County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Modoc County gets the largest, at 37.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, OR | 81 | 17.8% | 33.9% |
| Storey County, NV | 66 | 7.2% | 13.6% |
| Lyon County, NV | 63 | 11.4% | 25.3% |
| Modoc County, CA | 59 | 17.1% | 37.3% |
| Harney County, OR | 54 | 14.3% | 32.4% |
| Churchill County, NV | 53 | 9.9% | 27.0% |
| Lassen County, CA | 53 | 17.2% | 34.3% |
| Carson City, NV | 52 | 11.7% | 23.1% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
| Sierra County, CA | 48 | 13.5% | 27.2% |
| Pershing County, NV | 44 | 18.3% | 27.0% |
| Nevada County, CA | 39 | 9.6% | 21.4% |
| Humboldt County, NV | 30 | 10.6% | 19.5% |
| Placer County, CA | 25 | 6.8% | 15.1% |
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 Washoe County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Washoe County's poverty rate was 9.4% in 2024, 15th highest of 17 in Nevada (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Pershing County, at 18.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Washoe County ranks 10th of 17 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washoe 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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Northern Nevada Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Nevada 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 Washoe 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 Washoe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.