Unemployment in Klamath County, Oregon, is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Klamath County, 7.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Klamath County's score
In Klamath County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.5. Unemployment averaged 7.3%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 97% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 76.6.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Klamath County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.8%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a subprime credit score (22.8%, Q4 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Klamath County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 93.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.9% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average7.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202697th percentile
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- 76.6 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent30.2% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
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- 63.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.4% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people207.1 · 202576th percentile
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- 62.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,076 · 202457th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.6% · 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.8% · Q4 202547th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Klamath County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Klamath County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Klamath County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 36 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Klamath County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 36 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Klamath County, Oregon: 35.8% and 48.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 35.8% of all personal income in Klamath County, Oregon (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Klamath County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Klamath County has changed
The number of people living in Klamath County grew by about 42% between 1969 and 2024, from 49,541 to 70,438. The number of jobs located there grew by about 18% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.9% in 1990 to 7.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 49,541 | 2024 70,438 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 20,235 | 2024 23,856 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 7.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.9% | 2024 16.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $23,049 | 2024 $64,076 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 7.7% | 2024 35.8% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Klamath County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 69,413, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1864
Klamath Reservation established. Wikipedia
1882
Organized on October 17, 1882. Wikipedia
1906
Klamath Irrigation Project drained Lower Klamath and Tule lakes. Wikipedia
1942
Tule Lake War Relocation Center internment camp. Wikipedia
1954
Klamath Reservation terminated. Wikipedia
1993
Earthquakes damaged Klamath Falls downtown. Wikipedia
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Since 1964
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Klamath County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Klamath County beside its neighbors
Klamath County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Oregon and California. For the share of income from benefit checks, Klamath County ranks 4th of the eight; Siskiyou County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath County, OR | 84 | 16.6% | 35.8% |
| Lake County, OR | 81 | 17.8% | 33.9% |
| Douglas County, OR | 71 | 14.7% | 37.3% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 69 | 17.3% | 38.3% |
| Jackson County, OR | 62 | 12.6% | 27.7% |
| Lane County, OR | 60 | 14.6% | 25.1% |
| Modoc County, CA | 58 | 17.1% | 37.3% |
| Deschutes County, OR | 30 | 7.5% | 17.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Klamath County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Klamath County's poverty rate was 16.6% in 2024, 5th 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, Klamath County ranks 1st of 36 in the state.
Klamath County in photographs
Places in Klamath County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Klamath County courthouse, Klamath Falls.
Klamath County, Oregon: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Klamath County, Oregon?
16.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 18.5%.
Is Klamath County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Klamath County's poverty rate was 16.6% in 2024, 5th 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, Klamath County ranks 1st of 36 in the state.
What is the population of Klamath County, Oregon?
About 70,438 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 69,413, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Klamath County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Legal Aid Services of Oregon
Legal aid
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Oregon Law Center
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Klamath County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Klamath County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.