Unemployment in Jackson County, Oregon, is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties
In Jackson County, 5.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 85.1. About one in four renters (25.0%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 72.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.1 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 rent25.0% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.0% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 72.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 57.2 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 people242.3 · 202584th percentile
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- 39.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.8% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,899 · 202431st percentile
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- 35.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · second quarter of 202631st 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 23.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.2% in 2010 to 17.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Jackson 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: 13.0% 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, Jackson County, Oregon.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest rise, from 143,549 in 1989 to 163,527 in 1994.
Jackson County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 221,331
High on the chart: 222,246 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County nearly doubled to 91,966, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 73,432. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,973 | 2024 $73,899 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Jackson County's history
1852
Gold discoveries in the Illinois River valley and Rogue River valley near Jacksonville in 1852. Wikipedia
1856
Native Americans herded to reservations starting January 1856; by May 1857 nearly all Shasta, Takelma, and Latgawa tribes relocated to Siletz Reservation. Wikipedia
1880
Jacksonville declined due to diminishing goldfield returns and Oregon and California Railroad construction in 1880s that bypassed Jacksonville for Medford. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 223,259, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1852
Created January 12, 1852 from Lane County and unorganized territory. Wikipedia
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Since 1964
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Jackson County, in Oregon and California, score higher than it does. Of the group, Jackson County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Siskiyou County gets the largest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath County, OR | 85 | 16.6% | 35.8% |
| Josephine County, OR | 78 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Douglas County, OR | 73 | 14.7% | 37.3% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 71 | 17.3% | 38.3% |
| Jackson County, OR | 62 | 12.6% | 27.7% |
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 Jackson County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 23rd 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, Jackson County ranks 13th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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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Access
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Center for Nonprofit Legal Services
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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.