Unemployment in Douglas County, Oregon, is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Douglas County, 6.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Douglas County's score
In Douglas County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.5. Housing costs come next, at 76.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Douglas 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.
Douglas County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (3.2%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (5.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 76.2 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 rent22.6% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.7% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 58.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.9% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability22.0% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,341 · 202466th percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.3% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people208.1 · 202576th percentile
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- 37.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.0% · second quarter of 202649th 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County, 26.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Douglas County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Douglas County had its largest rise, from 24.7% in 2004 to 32.5% in 2009.
In Douglas County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 37.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Douglas County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 37.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.4% in 2011 to 20.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 21.1%
Low on the chart: 14.0% 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, Douglas County, Oregon.
How Douglas County has changed
Douglas County's population rose by more than half to 112,255, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 92,063. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Douglas County, Oregon.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 38,972 in 2005 to 34,327 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County rose 14% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 38,972 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Douglas County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.1% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,724 | 2024 $61,341 |
The table uses 6.2% for 2025; the score uses 6.1% 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 Douglas County's history
1856
Following Rogue River Wars in 1856, most remaining Umpqua Indians moved by federal government to Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 111,201, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Douglas County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Douglas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Douglas County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Douglas County ranks 3rd of the seven; Curry County is highest, at 38.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath County, OR | 85 | 16.6% | 35.8% |
| Josephine County, OR | 78 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Coos County, OR | 75 | 16.8% | 37.0% |
| Douglas County, OR | 73 | 14.7% | 37.3% |
| Curry County, OR | 66 | 16.4% | 38.9% |
| Jackson County, OR | 62 | 12.6% | 27.7% |
| Lane County, OR | 60 | 14.6% | 25.1% |
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 Douglas County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 9th 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, Douglas County ranks 6th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Douglas 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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Neighborworks Umpqua
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 Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.