In Curry County, Oregon, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 39 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Curry County's score
In Curry County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 86.3. Unemployment averaged 6.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 77.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Curry 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.
Curry County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (3.7%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
-
- 77.4 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 rent19.7% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.1% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
-
- 67.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.7% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability22.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,805 · 202478th percentile
-
- 37.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.9% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people115.9 · 202544th percentile
-
- 29.8 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 score37.6% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
-
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 Curry 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 Curry County, 36.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Curry County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Curry County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Oregon
In Curry County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 38.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Curry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.0% in 2019 to 14.8% in 2020.
The share of households in Curry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 12.9% 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, Curry County, Oregon.
How Curry County has changed
Curry County's population had its largest rise, from 13,969 in 1974 to 16,584 in 1979.
Curry County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22,774
High on the chart: 23,163 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Curry County, Oregon.
The number of jobs located in Curry County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 7,050 in 2005 to 6,165 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Curry County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,570
High on the chart: 7,050 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Curry County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 6.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.5% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,097 | 2024 $56,805 |
The table uses 6.4% for 2025; the score uses 6.2% 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 Curry County's history
1850
Gold and other precious metals discovered along beaches and rivers of Curry County in mid-19th century. Wikipedia
2012
A flood in November 2012 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 23,446, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1964
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Curry County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Curry County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Curry County, in Oregon and California, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Curry County ranks 2nd of the five; Del Norte County is highest, at 41.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josephine County, OR | 78 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Del Norte County, CA | 78 | 19.9% | 41.1% |
| Coos County, OR | 75 | 16.8% | 37.0% |
| Douglas County, OR | 73 | 14.7% | 37.3% |
| Curry County, OR | 66 | 16.4% | 38.9% |
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 Curry County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Curry County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 6th 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, Curry County ranks 10th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Curry 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.
-
Oregon Law Center
Legal aid
-
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 Curry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.