Unemployment in Columbia County, Oregon, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Columbia County, 5.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Columbia County's score
In Columbia County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.3. Housing costs come next, at 74.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Columbia 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.
Columbia County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($88,138, 2024) and people below the poverty line (9.8%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 74.0 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 rent20.1% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.6% · fiscal year 202785th percentile
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- 47.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.3% · August 202527th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people172.6 · 202567th percentile
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- 36.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.2% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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- 28.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.2% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability17.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,138 · 202412th 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Columbia County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Columbia County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Columbia County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Columbia County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.6% in 2010 to 14.9% in 2011.
The share of households in Columbia County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 10.4% 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, Columbia County, Oregon.
How Columbia County has changed
Columbia County's population had its largest rise, from 31,798 in 1974 to 35,444 in 1979.
Columbia County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 54,063, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 49,400. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Columbia County, Oregon.
The number of jobs located in Columbia County rose most sharply after its 1995 low, from 8,913 in 1995 to 10,086 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Columbia County rose by about a third to 12,277, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 12,277 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Columbia County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.8% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,276 | 2024 $88,138 |
The table uses 6.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.9% 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 Columbia County's history
2007
A flood in December 2007 did $36 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 did $2,305,000 in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 52,589, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Columbia County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Columbia County beside its neighbors
Columbia County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Oregon and Washington. For the share of income from benefit checks, Columbia County ranks 4th of the seven; Wahkiakum County is highest, at 33.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, OR | 55 | 9.8% | 26.4% |
| Cowlitz County, WA | 51 | 10.6% | 27.4% |
| Multnomah County, OR | 49 | 12.7% | 16.1% |
| Clatsop County, OR | 49 | 13.3% | 28.0% |
| Wahkiakum County, WA | 39 | 11.5% | 33.1% |
| Clark County, WA | 37 | 7.8% | 16.8% |
| Washington County, OR | 28 | 8.4% | 13.8% |
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 Columbia County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Columbia County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 33rd 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, Columbia County ranks 16th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Columbia 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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Oregon Law Center
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 Columbia 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 Columbia County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.