Unemployment in Crook County, Oregon, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Crook 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 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Crook County's score
In Crook County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 77.5. Housing costs come next, at 58.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crook 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.
Crook County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a subprime credit score (31.8%, Q2 2026) and people with a credit card behind (3.7%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.5 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 working22.7% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 58.0 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 rent19.0% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 56.0 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 people244.9 · 202584th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability19.8% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,704 · 202426th percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.8% · second quarter of 202618th 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 Crook 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 Crook County, 25.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crook County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Crook County had its largest rise, from 21.0% in 2004 to 32.8% in 2009.
In Crook County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 29.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Crook County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crook County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 22.0% in 2019 to 17.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Crook County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 14.6%
Low on the chart: 11.7% 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, Crook County, Oregon.
How Crook County has changed
Crook County's population tripled to 27,336, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 24,197. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crook County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Crook County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2005 to 2010, reaching 5,545. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crook County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.4% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,531 | 2024 $76,704 |
The table uses 5.8% 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 Crook County's history
1911
Prineville bypassed by railroad in 1911 when tycoons James J. Hill and Edward H. Harriman laid track south from The Dalles. Wikipedia
2006
Hail in June 2006 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 24,738, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crook County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crook County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Crook County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Crook County ranks 5th of the six; Wheeler County is highest, at 39.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, OR | 72 | 13.7% | 38.0% |
| Harney County, OR | 54 | 14.3% | 32.4% |
| Grant County, OR | 53 | 13.4% | 34.1% |
| Crook County, OR | 52 | 11.3% | 29.8% |
| Wheeler County, OR | 51 | 17.1% | 39.0% |
| Deschutes County, OR | 29 | 7.5% | 17.6% |
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 Crook County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Crook County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 29th 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, Crook County ranks 19th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crook 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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Neighborimpact - Prineville Housing Center
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.
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 Crook County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.