Josephine County, Oregon

County Distress Index: Elevated · 64.5 | 87,821 people · 3rd most distressed in Oregon
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Josephine County, OR registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 64.5 — 529th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Oregon, it ranks 3rd of 36 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Josephine County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 81.7 — worse than roughly 82% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 81.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 98
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 91
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 69
Homeownership Rate 63
Rent-to-Income Ratio 87
Employment & Wages 70.8
Unemployment Rate 96
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 89
Business Formation Rate 28
Income & Poverty 66.7
Poverty Rate 62
Income vs. State Median 74
Child Poverty Rate 64
Community Vulnerability 66.5
Uninsured Rate 48
Disability Rate 85
Debt & Delinquency 37.0
Debt in Collections 33
Medical Debt 22
Student Loan Delinquency 22
Auto Loan Delinquency 12
Credit Card Delinquency 51
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 81

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Josephine County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Josephine County
Josephine County, OR 64.5 Elevated —
Del Norte County, CA 67.3 Serious +2.7
Siskiyou County, CA 64.2 Elevated -0.4
Curry County, OR 62.4 Elevated -2.1
Douglas County, OR 61.8 Elevated -2.8
Jackson County, OR 54.5 Elevated -10.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Josephine County
Columbus County, NC 64.6 Elevated +0.0
Rutherford County, NC 64.5 Elevated -0.1
Clarke County, GA 64.6 Elevated +0.1
Harrison County, MS 64.5 Elevated -0.1
Trumbull County, OH 64.7 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Josephine County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Josephine County

Find an Attorney

Oregon State Bar — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Oregon State Bar — Lawyer Referral Service 503-684-3763 (Portland); 1-800-452-7636 (statewide)

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Josephine County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Services of Oregon 503-684-1032 (Portland); 1-800-684-1032 (statewide hotline)
Oregon Law Center 541-672-3429 (Roseburg); 541-485-1017 (Eugene)
Willamette Law Online — Oregon Foreclosure Avoidance Project 503-370-6051

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Oregon →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Josephine County, Oregon?

    Josephine County has a County Distress Index score of 64.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 529th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 3rd in Oregon out of 36 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Josephine County?

    The primary driver of distress in Josephine County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 81.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Josephine County compare to neighboring counties?

    Josephine County (64.5) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Del Norte County, CA (67.3); Siskiyou County, CA (64.2); Curry County, OR (62.4).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Josephine County?

    Josephine County, Oregon has a population of approximately 87,821 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.