About one in 13 people in Deschutes County, Oregon, lives below the poverty line
In Deschutes County, 7.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Deschutes County's score
In Deschutes County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 74.6. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 9.9. About one in four people (26.1%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Deschutes 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, Deschutes County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.4%, 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.
- 74.6 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 rent23.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.8% · fiscal year 202769th percentile
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- 49.4 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 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.0% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
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- 44.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.4% · August 202512th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people203.8 · 202575th percentile
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- 13.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.5% · 20245th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.8% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability12.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$99,705 · 20245th percentile
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- 9.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.1% · second quarter of 20264th 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 Deschutes 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 Deschutes County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Deschutes County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Deschutes County had its largest rise, from 14.5% in 2004 to 21.5% in 2009.
In Deschutes County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 17.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Deschutes County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Deschutes County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.9% in 2012 to 16.9% in 2013.
The share of households in Deschutes County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 9.9%
Low on the chart: 7.8% 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, Deschutes County, Oregon.
How Deschutes County has changed
Deschutes County's population had its largest rise, from 168,551 in 2014 to 195,065 in 2019.
Deschutes County's population grew to about seven times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 211,535, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 63,839. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Deschutes County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Deschutes County tripled to 93,998, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 72,423. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Deschutes County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 7.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,894 | 2024 $99,705 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Deschutes County's history
1997
Lightning in June 1997 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Hail in July 1998 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Hail in June 2006 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 198,253, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Deschutes County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Deschutes County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Deschutes County score higher than it does. Of the group, Deschutes County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Jefferson County gets the largest, at 38.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath County, OR | 85 | 16.6% | 35.8% |
| Lake County, OR | 81 | 17.8% | 33.9% |
| Jefferson County, OR | 72 | 13.7% | 38.0% |
| Linn County, OR | 67 | 12.8% | 31.2% |
| Lane County, OR | 60 | 14.6% | 25.1% |
| Harney County, OR | 54 | 14.3% | 32.4% |
| Crook County, OR | 52 | 11.3% | 29.8% |
| 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 Deschutes County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Deschutes County's poverty rate was 7.5% in 2024, the lowest 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, Deschutes County ranks 34th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Deschutes 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
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborimpact- Bend 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.
Download the CSV for Deschutes 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 Deschutes County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.