County Data

Washington County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 39 counties in Washington, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 40.5.

Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26

Washington Snapshot

39 Counties Scored
40.5 Mean Score
40.5 Median Score
58.8 Yakima County Most Distressed
26.4 Lincoln County Least Distressed
4 Elevated 24 Normal 11 Healthy
Zone Distribution

Washington County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 39 Washington counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Most & Least Distressed

Most Distressed

#1 Yakima County
58.8 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress
#2 Adams County
56.2 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress
#3 Pierce County
51.2 Elevated
Housing Cost Burden

Least Distressed

#39 Lincoln County
26.4 Healthy
Consumer Credit Distress
#38 Jefferson County
27.1 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden
#37 San Juan County
28.6 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden

Score Distribution

How Washington's 39 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.

All Washington Counties

39 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.

State Rank Nat'l Rank County Score Zone Primary Driver
1 1,034 Yakima County 58.8 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
2 1,191 Adams County 56.2 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
3 1,506 Pierce County 51.2 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
4 1,538 Grays Harbor County 50.7 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
5 1,676 Grant County 48.6 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
6 1,690 Lewis County 48.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
7 1,733 Asotin County 47.7 Normal Housing Cost Burden
8 1,757 Spokane County 47.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
9 1,801 Cowlitz County 46.7 Normal Housing Cost Burden
10 1,851 Franklin County 45.9 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
11 1,878 Thurston County 45.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
12 1,889 Kittitas County 45.2 Normal Housing Cost Burden
13 1,956 Okanogan County 43.9 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
14 1,995 Walla Walla County 43.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
15 2,027 Clark County 42.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
16 2,062 Benton County 42.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
17 2,087 Whatcom County 41.7 Normal Housing Cost Burden
18 2,120 Snohomish County 41.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden
19 2,151 Pacific County 40.7 Normal Housing Cost Burden
20 2,156 Whitman County 40.5 Normal Housing Cost Burden
21 2,172 Clallam County 40.3 Normal Housing Cost Burden
22 2,203 Skagit County 39.9 Normal Housing Cost Burden
23 2,222 Douglas County 39.6 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
24 2,281 Kitsap County 38.5 Normal Housing Cost Burden
25 2,294 Mason County 38.3 Normal Housing Cost Burden
26 2,310 Klickitat County 38.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden
27 2,397 Wahkiakum County 36.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
28 2,399 Garfield County 36.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
29 2,492 Columbia County 34.7 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
30 2,500 Stevens County 34.6 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress
31 2,537 Island County 33.9 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
32 2,640 Chelan County 32.2 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
33 2,674 Ferry County 31.6 Healthy Structural Poverty
34 2,678 Skamania County 31.5 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
35 2,682 King County 31.4 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
36 2,726 Pend Oreille County 30.7 Healthy Structural Poverty
37 2,818 San Juan County 28.6 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
38 2,890 Jefferson County 27.1 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
39 2,916 Lincoln County 26.4 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress

How County Scores Work

Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.

Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties

Full CDI methodology and data sources

Washington Resources

Washington State Profile

State ADI score: 47.8 (Normal). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for Washington.

Find Help in Washington

HUD-approved housing counselors, legal aid offices, credit counselors, and debtor education providers in Washington.

Washington Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in Washington.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare Washington to the rest of the country.

National County Profiles

All 3,144 U.S. counties ranked by financial distress score.
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