About one in five people in Washington County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Washington County, 19.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 74% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 69.3. Jobs come next, at 65.3.
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: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (16.5%, fiscal year 2027) and people with a credit card behind (5.0%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.0% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people199.2 · 202574th percentile
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- 65.3 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 202669th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.6% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 60.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability19.0% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,652 · 202447th percentile
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- 53.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.8% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 32.3 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 rent18.9% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.5% · fiscal year 202710th 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, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Washington County had its largest drop, from 15.6% in 1999 to 11.0% in 2004.
In Washington County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 12.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about seven times as much as benefit checks
In Washington County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.0%; 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 doubled to 15.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2020, reaching 12.1%. 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, Oklahoma.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population rose 30% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 54,060 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Washington County had its largest drop, from 21,204 in 2015 to 18,317 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Washington County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 21,204 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.1% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.6% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,919 | 2024 $67,652 |
The table uses 3.6% 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 County's history
1897
Nellie Johnstone Number One, first commercial oil well in Oklahoma, drilled near Bartlesville in 1897. Wikipedia
1907
Created in 1907. Wikipedia
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in April 1991 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Hail in May 2000 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 52,455, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in May 2024 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Washington County, in Oklahoma and Kansas, four score higher. Of the group, Washington County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Chautauqua County gets the largest, at 35.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osage County, OK | 78 | 15.3% | 25.6% |
| Montgomery County, KS | 72 | 14.6% | 32.9% |
| Nowata County, OK | 72 | 15.3% | 33.6% |
| Tulsa County, OK | 65 | 13.3% | 14.9% |
| Chautauqua County, KS | 59 | 15.2% | 35.1% |
| Washington County, OK | 59 | 13.8% | 12.0% |
| Rogers County, OK | 34 | 7.9% | 21.6% |
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 Washington County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, 58th highest of 77 in Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Choctaw County, at 26.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Washington County ranks 51st of 77 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 Aid Services of Oklahoma
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.