Unemployment in Harney County, Oregon, is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties
In Harney County, 4.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harney County's score
In Harney County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 71.6. Income and the safety net comes next, at 59.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harney 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.
Harney County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a subprime credit score (34.9%, Q2 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (14.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.1% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 59.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability18.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,576 · 202471st percentile
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- 53.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.0% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people174.7 · 202568th percentile
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- 40.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.9% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 38.7 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 rent14.8% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202747th 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 Harney 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 Harney County, 26.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Harney County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Harney County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 23.3% in 2004 to 33.9% in 2009.
In Harney County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 32.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Harney County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 32.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Harney County getting SNAP food aid rose to 23.1%, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2021
Low on the chart: 17.7% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Harney County, Oregon.
How Harney County has changed
Harney County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1979 high, from 7,267 in 1974 to 7,965 in 1979.
Harney County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 7,965 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harney County, Oregon.
The number of jobs located in Harney County had its largest rise, from 2,340 in 1995 to 2,873 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Harney County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 2,873 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harney County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.2% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,418 | 2024 $59,576 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Harney County's history
1908
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge established in 1908 and expanded in 1936. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 8,314. The 2020 Census counted 7,495, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
2021
A thunderstorm in August 2021 did $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flood in March 2025 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1889
Carved out of Grant County on February 25, 1889. Wikipedia
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Since 1964
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harney County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harney County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Harney County, in Oregon and Nevada, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Harney County ranks 4th of the eight; Malheur County is highest, at 40.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, OR | 81 | 17.8% | 33.9% |
| 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% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
| Humboldt County, NV | 30 | 10.6% | 19.5% |
| 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 Harney County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Harney County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 11th 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, Harney County ranks 17th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harney 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.
Download the CSV for Harney 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 Harney County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.