About one in seven people with a credit file in Washington County, Utah, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Washington County, 14.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 79.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 15.4. About one in four people (27.2%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington 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, Washington County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.2 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 rent25.3% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
-
- 50.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202638th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.7% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
-
- 42.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.1% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people176.3 · 202568th percentile
-
- 29.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.3% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.3% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance11.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$86,715 · 202412th percentile
-
- 15.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.2% · second quarter of 20266th percentile
-
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 Washington 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 Washington County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Washington County had its largest rise, from 19.7% in 2004 to 24.8% in 2009.
In Washington County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Washington County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.7% in 2011 to 8.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2018 to 2019, reaching 7.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Washington County, Utah.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 175,195 in 2019 to 207,943 in 2024.
Washington County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 207,943, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 18,092. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Utah.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Washington County grew to about six times its 1990 size, reaching 89,775, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 89,775. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.0% | 2024 9.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,162 | 2024 $86,715 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Washington County's history
1862
Great Flood destroyed settlements after 44 days of rainfall, 1862. Wikipedia
1891
Silver Reef mining town abandoned due to silver price collapse, 1891. Wikipedia
1998
A flash flood in July 1998 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in December 2010 did $19.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in September 2015 killed 13 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in September 2015 killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 180,279, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1977
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Washington County, in Utah, Arizona and Nevada, two score higher. Of the group, Washington County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Mohave County gets the largest, at 36.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohave County, AZ | 83 | 14.6% | 36.3% |
| Lincoln County, NV | 50 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| Washington County, UT | 38 | 9.3% | 21.5% |
| Iron County, UT | 28 | 12.6% | 23.4% |
| Kane County, UT | 17 | 8.8% | 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 Washington County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 9.3% in 2024, 16th highest of 29 in Utah (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is San Juan County, at 19.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Washington County ranks 5th of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington 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.
-
Utah Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Washington 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 Washington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.