In Yamhill County, Oregon, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Yamhill County, 24.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Yamhill County's score
In Yamhill County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 86.7. About one in four renters (27.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 64.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Yamhill 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.
Yamhill County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($92,193, 2024) and children below the poverty line (10.7%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.7 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 rent27.5% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.4% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 64.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 46.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people187.8 · 202571st percentile
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- 28.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.2% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 25.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.9% · 202421st percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.7% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance5.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,193 · 20249th 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 Yamhill 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 Yamhill County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Yamhill County
Oregon
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Yamhill County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Yamhill County, Oregon, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Yamhill County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.8% in 2012 to 18.2% in 2013.
The share of households in Yamhill County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 12.3% 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, Yamhill County, Oregon.
How Yamhill County has changed
Yamhill County's population had its largest rise, from 73,532 in 1994 to 84,354 in 1999.
Yamhill County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 110,886, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 100,947. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Yamhill County, Oregon.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Yamhill County doubled to 39,978, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 39,978. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Yamhill County, Oregon.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 9.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,797 | 2024 $92,193 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Yamhill County's history
2007
A flood in December 2007 did $9.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flood in January 2012 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 107,722, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Yamhill County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Yamhill County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Yamhill County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Yamhill County ranks 4th of the six; Tillamook County is highest, at 29.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| Clackamas County, OR | 31 | 8.1% | 14.3% |
| Washington County, OR | 28 | 8.4% | 13.8% |
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 Yamhill County the poorest county in Oregon?
No, Yamhill County's poverty rate was 9.9% in 2024, 32nd 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, Yamhill County ranks 24th of 36 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Yamhill 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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Housing Authority of Yamhill County
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Oregon Law Center
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 Yamhill 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 Yamhill County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.