In Clackamas County, Oregon, benefit checks make up only 14 cents of every dollar of income
In Clackamas County, 14.3% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clackamas County's score
In Clackamas County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 74.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 10.9. The typical household earns $103,479 a year (2024), more than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clackamas 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, Clackamas County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.3%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.4 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 rent25.3% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
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- 57.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 39.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.3% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people183.1 · 202570th percentile
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- 13.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.3% · second quarter of 20268th percentile
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- 10.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.1% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.4% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.3% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$103,479 · 20244th 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 Clackamas 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 Clackamas County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clackamas County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Clackamas County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 10.4% in 2004 to 14.6% in 2009.
In Clackamas County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 14.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Clackamas County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clackamas County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 8.0% in 2010 to 11.2% in 2012, 1.6 points each year.
The share of households in Clackamas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clackamas County, Oregon.
How Clackamas County has changed
Clackamas County's population had its largest rise, from 196,143 in 1974 to 236,824 in 1979.
Clackamas County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 425,857, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 425,857. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clackamas County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Clackamas County doubled to 174,819, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 132,513. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clackamas County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.7% | 2024 8.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,897 | 2024 $103,479 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Clackamas County's history
1996
A thunderstorm in January 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in January 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in January 2011 did $9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in August 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Last paper mill in Oregon City vicinity closed in 2017 but reopened in 2019 under new ownership. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 421,401, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clackamas County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clackamas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Clackamas County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clackamas County ranks 6th of the seven; Wasco County is highest, at 29.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wasco County, OR | 67 | 12.8% | 29.2% |
| Marion County, OR | 63 | 11.9% | 27.2% |
| Yamhill County, OR | 50 | 9.9% | 22.7% |
| Multnomah County, OR | 49 | 12.7% | 16.1% |
| Clackamas County, OR | 31 | 8.1% | 14.3% |
| Washington County, OR | 28 | 8.4% | 13.8% |
| Hood River County, OR | 21 | 10.8% | 17.5% |
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 Clackamas County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Clackamas County's poverty rate was 8.1% in 2024, 35th 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, Clackamas County ranks 33rd of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clackamas 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 Clackamas 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 Clackamas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.