Adams County, Washington

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.7 | 20,820 people · 2nd most distressed in Washington
American Default Research

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Adams County, WA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.7 — 783rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Washington, it ranks 2nd of 39 counties. It scores higher than all 4 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Adams County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 77.2 — worse than roughly 77% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 77.3
Unemployment Rate 92
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 58
Business Formation Rate 81
Housing Cost Burden 66.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 76
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 83
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 56
Homeownership Rate 74
Rent-to-Income Ratio 42
Income & Poverty 63.2
Poverty Rate 62
Income vs. State Median 65
Child Poverty Rate 62
Debt & Delinquency 49.3
Debt in Collections 28
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 72
Auto Loan Delinquency 77
Credit Card Delinquency 56
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 56
Community Vulnerability 47.5
Uninsured Rate 90
Disability Rate 5

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Adams County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Adams County
Adams County, WA 60.7 Elevated —
Grant County, WA 55.5 Elevated -5.1
Whitman County, WA 51.7 Elevated -9.0
Franklin County, WA 49.8 Normal -10.9
Lincoln County, WA 36.8 Normal -23.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Adams County
Marion County, AL 60.7 Elevated 0.0
Sabine County, TX 60.7 Elevated -0.0
Seneca County, NY 60.6 Elevated -0.0
Jackson Parish, LA 60.7 Elevated +0.0
Escambia County, AL 60.8 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Adams County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Adams County

Find an Attorney

Washington State Bar Association — Find Legal Help offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Washington State Bar Association — Find Legal Help 1-800-945-9722

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Adams County residents at no cost.

Northwest Justice Project (NJP) 1-888-201-1014
Columbia Legal Services 1-206-464-1122

Self-Help Resources

Washington Law Help — Foreclosure Free legal information and self-help resources for low-income Washington residents, including foreclosure guides, tenant rights in foreclosure, and links to legal aid.
Washington Courts Self-Help Resources Washington Courts website with forms, instructions, and resources for self-represented litigants including those involved in foreclosure-related proceedings.
DFI Foreclosure Assistance and Information Department of Financial Institutions page with foreclosure prevention resources, consumer alerts about foreclosure rescue scams, and links to assistance programs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Adams County, Washington?

    Adams County has a County Distress Index score of 60.7 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 783rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 2nd in Washington out of 39 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Adams County?

    The primary driver of distress in Adams County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 77.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Adams County compare to neighboring counties?

    Adams County (60.7) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Grant County, WA (55.5); Whitman County, WA (51.7); Franklin County, WA (49.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Adams County?

    Adams County, Washington has a population of approximately 20,820 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.