About one in 10 people with a credit file in Benton County, Oregon, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Benton County, 9.7% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Benton County's score
In Benton County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 96.3. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 9.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Benton 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.
Even so, Benton County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (36.3%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (27.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.3 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 rent36.3% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.9% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 61.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.6% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 26.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.0% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability12.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,863 · 202420th percentile
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- 9.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.2% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
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- 9.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.7% · August 20253rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people61.4 · 202515th 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 Benton 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 Benton County, 18.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Benton County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Benton County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 16.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Benton County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.8% in 2011 to 12.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.3%
High on the chart: 13.8% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Benton County, Oregon.
How Benton County has changed
Benton County's population doubled to 98,899, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 61,230. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Benton County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Benton County rose 41% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 32,293. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Benton County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.2% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,413 | 2024 $79,863 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Benton County's history
1862
Oregon State Agricultural College, now Oregon State University, established in Corvallis in 1862. Wikipedia
2012
A flood in January 2012 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 95,184, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Benton County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Benton County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Benton County score higher than it does. Of the group, Benton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Lincoln County gets the largest, at 31.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, OR | 76 | 16.3% | 31.7% |
| Linn County, OR | 67 | 12.8% | 31.2% |
| Lane County, OR | 60 | 14.6% | 25.1% |
| Polk County, OR | 46 | 10.6% | 24.2% |
| Benton County, OR | 33 | 14.3% | 16.2% |
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 Benton County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Benton County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 11th highest of 36 in Oregon (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Malheur County, at 18.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Benton County ranks 32nd of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Benton 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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DevNW
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Services of Oregon
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 Benton 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 Benton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.