Unemployment in Lake County, Oregon, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Lake County, 6.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lake County's score
In Lake County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.4. Late payments on loans come next, at 79.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lake 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.
Lake County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
-
- 79.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind10.1% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.1% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
-
- 60.4 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 rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
-
- 55.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.8% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.0% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,181 · 202460th percentile
-
- 55.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.8% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people144.7 · 202558th percentile
-
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 Lake 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 Lake County, 25.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lake County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lake County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 33.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Lake County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 33.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.4% in 2011 to 20.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 16.1% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lake County, Oregon.
How Lake County has changed
Lake County's population rose by about a third to 8,194, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 7,111. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lake County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lake County rose 3% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2010 and 2015
High on the chart: 2,555 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lake County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.6% | 2024 17.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,145 | 2024 $63,181 |
The table uses 6.2% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Lake County's history
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 8,160, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1964
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lake County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lake County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lake County, in Oregon, California and Nevada, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lake County ranks 3rd of the six; Modoc County is highest, at 37.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath County, OR | 85 | 16.6% | 35.8% |
| Lake County, OR | 81 | 17.8% | 33.9% |
| Modoc County, CA | 59 | 17.1% | 37.3% |
| Harney County, OR | 54 | 14.3% | 32.4% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
| 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 Lake County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Lake County's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 2nd 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, Lake County ranks 2nd of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lake 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.
-
Legal Aid Services of Oregon
Legal aid
-
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.
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 Lake County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.