About one in nine people with a credit file in Wallowa County, Oregon, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Wallowa County, 11.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wallowa County's score
In Wallowa County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 51.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 30.8. About one in three people (32.6%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 78% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wallowa 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, Wallowa County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (6.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a disability (20.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.3 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 working13.2% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
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- 49.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability20.7% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,150 · 202448th percentile
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- 39.3 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 rent16.0% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
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- 34.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.4% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people156.4 · 202562nd percentile
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- 30.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.6% · second quarter of 202621st 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 Wallowa 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 Wallowa County, 29.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wallowa County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wallowa County had its largest rise, from 22.0% in 2004 to 30.1% in 2009.
In Wallowa County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Wallowa County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wallowa County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.9% in 2019 to 12.8% in 2020.
The share of households in Wallowa County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 12.0%
Low on the chart: 8.4% 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, Wallowa County, Oregon.
How Wallowa County has changed
Wallowa County's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 7,523 in 1984 to 6,818 in 1989.
Wallowa County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 7,522
High on the chart: 7,523 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wallowa County, Oregon.
The number of jobs located in Wallowa County had its largest rise in the last span, from 2,572 in 2020 to 2,855 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Wallowa County rose 29% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 2,855 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wallowa County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,973 | 2024 $67,150 |
The table uses 5.8% 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 Wallowa County's history
1877
Nez Perce removed from Wallowa Valley to reservation in north-central Idaho after refusing relocation and being pursued by U.S. Army cavalry regiments. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 9,778. The 2020 Census counted 7,391, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1968
A tornado in June 1968 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A flash flood in July 2002 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wallowa County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wallowa County beside its neighbors
Of the nine counties that border Wallowa County, in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, seven score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wallowa County ranks 8th of the 10; Baker County is highest, at 34.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, WA | 52 | 12.4% | 33.5% |
| Umatilla County, OR | 52 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Baker County, OR | 51 | 13.6% | 34.4% |
| Garfield County, WA | 50 | 12.9% | 34.1% |
| Union County, OR | 50 | 14.3% | 32.5% |
| Asotin County, WA | 44 | 12.3% | 31.0% |
| Adams County, ID | 39 | 12.4% | 29.2% |
| Wallowa County, OR | 34 | 11.7% | 29.0% |
| Idaho County, ID | 26 | 14.0% | 32.3% |
| Nez Perce County, ID | 22 | 10.6% | 24.6% |
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 Wallowa County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Wallowa County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 26th 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, Wallowa County ranks 30th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wallowa 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 Wallowa 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 Wallowa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.