Unemployment in Klamath County, Oregon, is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Klamath County, 7.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Klamath County's score
In Klamath County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.5. Housing costs come next, at 76.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Klamath 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.
Klamath County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (6.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202697th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.9% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 76.6 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 rent30.2% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th 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
- People below the poverty line16.6% · 202473rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,076 · 202457th percentile
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- 61.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.7% · second quarter of 202662nd 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 Klamath 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 Klamath County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Klamath County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Klamath County had its largest rise, from 23.5% in 2004 to 30.7% in 2009.
In Klamath County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, but pay from work still brings in 37% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Klamath County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 35.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Klamath County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 22.2% in 2012 to 26.3% in 2013.
The share of households in Klamath County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 23.7%
Low on the chart: 16.7% 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, Klamath County, Oregon.
How Klamath County has changed
Klamath County's population rose 42% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 58,850. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Klamath County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Klamath County rose by about a fifth to 23,884, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 23,645. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Klamath County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 7.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.9% | 2024 16.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,049 | 2024 $64,076 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Klamath County's history
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
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 69,413, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Klamath County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 85 | 16.6% | 35.8% |
| Lake County, OR | 81 | 17.8% | 33.9% |
| Douglas County, OR | 73 | 14.7% | 37.3% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 71 | 17.3% | 38.3% |
| Jackson County, OR | 62 | 12.6% | 27.7% |
| Lane County, OR | 60 | 14.6% | 25.1% |
| Modoc County, CA | 59 | 17.1% | 37.3% |
| 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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Klamath 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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Legal Aid Services of Oregon
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 Klamath 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 Klamath County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.