Unemployment in Union County, Oregon, is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties
In Union County, 5.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Union County's score
In Union County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 68.7. Income and the safety net comes next, at 54.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Union 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.
Union County does better than most counties on two measures: people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (17.3%, August 2025) and people with a credit card behind (4.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 54.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.3% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance6.9% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,339 · 202448th percentile
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- 52.4 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 rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
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- 40.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.3% · August 202527th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people131.1 · 202552nd percentile
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- 35.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.9% · second quarter of 202636th 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 Union 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 Union County, 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Union County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Union County had its largest rise, from 20.5% in 2004 to 28.9% in 2009.
In Union County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 32.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Union County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Union County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.7% in 2010 to 16.8% in 2011.
The share of households in Union County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 19.4%
Low on the chart: 12.9% 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, Union County, Oregon.
How Union County has changed
Union County's population had its largest rise, from 19,286 in 1969 to 21,426 in 1974.
Union County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26,058
High on the chart: 26,378 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Union County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Union County rose by about a quarter to 10,444, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 9,667. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Union County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,669 | 2024 $67,339 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Union County's history
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 26,196, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Union County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Union County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Union County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Union County ranks 3rd of the five; Baker County is highest, at 34.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County, OR | 53 | 13.4% | 34.1% |
| Umatilla County, OR | 52 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Baker County, OR | 51 | 13.6% | 34.4% |
| Union County, OR | 50 | 14.3% | 32.5% |
| Wallowa County, OR | 34 | 11.7% | 29.0% |
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 Union County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Union County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 11th 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, Union County ranks 25th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Union 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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Community Connection of Northeast Oregon, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Union County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.