About one in four people in Sherman County, Oregon, has a disability
In Sherman County, 26.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sherman County's score
In Sherman County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 75.9. About three in ten renters (28.8%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 75.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sherman 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.
Sherman County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a subprime credit score (22.9%, Q2 2026) and people without health insurance (2.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.9 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 rent28.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th percentile
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- 75.2 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 working24.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.0% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people205 · 202575th percentile
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- 52.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability26.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance2.6% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,339 · 202445th percentile
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- 23.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.9% · second quarter of 20265th or lower 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 Sherman 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 Sherman County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sherman County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sherman County had its largest rise, from 19.4% in 1994 to 25.9% in 1999.
In Sherman County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 30.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Sherman County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 30.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sherman County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 18.8% in 2023 to 23.8% in 2024.
The share of households in Sherman County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 9.0% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sherman County, Oregon.
How Sherman County has changed
Sherman County's population had its largest drop, from 1,962 in 1999 to 1,682 in 2004.
Sherman County's population fell 11% from 1969 to 2024, with its low point on the chart in 2004
Low on the chart: 1,682 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sherman County, Oregon.
The number of jobs located in Sherman County had its largest rise, from 723 in 2010 to 832 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Sherman County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 908
High on the chart: 931 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sherman County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.0% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,126 | 2024 $68,339 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Sherman County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 4,242. The 2020 Census counted 1,870, 44% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sherman County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sherman County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Sherman County, in Oregon and Washington, one scores higher. Of the group, Sherman County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (30.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wasco County, OR | 67 | 12.8% | 29.2% |
| Sherman County, OR | 63 | 14.1% | 30.2% |
| Klickitat County, WA | 46 | 12.2% | 29.1% |
| Gilliam County, OR | 36 | 11.5% | 24.7% |
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 Sherman County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Sherman County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 14th 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, Sherman County ranks 11th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sherman 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 Sherman 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 Sherman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.