About one in six people with a credit file in Polk County, Oregon, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Polk County, 15.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Polk County's score
In Polk County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 72.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 25.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 3.3%, August 2025, lower than in 79% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Polk 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.
Even so, Polk County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.8%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.5 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 rent24.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.6% · fiscal year 202758th percentile
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- 66.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202679th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 48.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.9% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people197.1 · 202573rd percentile
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- 27.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.6% · 202427th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$94,166 · 20247th percentile
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- 25.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.4% · second quarter of 202620th 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 Polk 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 Polk County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Polk County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Polk County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Polk County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 19.8%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2012 to 2013, reaching 17.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Polk County, Oregon.
How Polk County has changed
Polk County's population had its largest rise, from 66,569 in 2004 to 74,934 in 2009.
Polk County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 90,549, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 45,391. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Polk County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Polk County doubled to 21,174, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 15,993. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Polk County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.0% | 2024 10.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,672 | 2024 $94,166 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Polk County's history
2007
A flood in December 2007 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flood in January 2012 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 87,433, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Polk County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Polk County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Polk County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Polk County ranks 5th of the seven; Lincoln County is highest, at 31.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, OR | 76 | 16.3% | 31.7% |
| Linn County, OR | 67 | 12.8% | 31.2% |
| Marion County, OR | 63 | 11.9% | 27.2% |
| Tillamook County, OR | 51 | 15.4% | 29.3% |
| Yamhill County, OR | 50 | 9.9% | 22.7% |
| Polk County, OR | 46 | 10.6% | 24.2% |
| Benton County, OR | 33 | 14.3% | 16.2% |
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 Polk County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Polk County's poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, 31st 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, Polk County ranks 28th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Polk 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.
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 Polk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.