Unemployment in Grant County, Oregon, is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Grant County, 7.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grant County's score
In Grant County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 83.7. Income and the safety net comes next, at 63.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grant 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.
Grant County does better than most counties on two measures: people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (13.5%, August 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (32.7%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 63.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.7% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability24.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,302 · 202466th percentile
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- 42.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.7% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 39.9 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 rent14.0% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 31.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.5% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124.7 · 202549th 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 Grant 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 Grant County, 32.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grant County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grant County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, but pay from work still brings in 37% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Grant County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 34.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.2% in 2019 to 14.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
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, Grant County, Oregon.
How Grant County has changed
Grant County's population rose most sharply from its first year (6,867 in 1969) to 7,534 in 1974.
Grant County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 8,182 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grant County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Grant County fell 12% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2005 and 2010
High on the chart: 2,778 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grant County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.5% | 2025 7.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,799 | 2024 $61,302 |
The table uses 7.5% for 2025; the score uses 7.0% 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 Grant County's history
1862
Gold discovered near Canyon City in June 1862 and near Granite in July 1862, with gold miners streaming into the area. Wikipedia
1942
U.S. War Labor Board made gold mining illegal by Executive Order Public Law L-208 in October 1942, effectively killing mining industry. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 8,329. The 2020 Census counted 7,233, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
2019
A flood in April 2019 did $1.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grant County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grant County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Grant County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grant County ranks 4th of the nine; Malheur County is highest, at 40.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malheur County, OR | 61 | 18.5% | 40.2% |
| Harney County, OR | 54 | 14.3% | 32.4% |
| Grant County, OR | 53 | 13.4% | 34.1% |
| Crook County, OR | 52 | 11.3% | 29.8% |
| Umatilla County, OR | 52 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Baker County, OR | 51 | 13.6% | 34.4% |
| Wheeler County, OR | 51 | 17.1% | 39.0% |
| Union County, OR | 50 | 14.3% | 32.5% |
| Morrow County, OR | 33 | 11.5% | 23.6% |
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 Grant County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Grant County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 18th 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, Grant County ranks 18th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grant 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.
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 Grant County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.