Unemployment in Adams County, Washington, is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties
In Adams County, 5.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Adams County's score
In Adams County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 74.8. Housing costs come next, at 71.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Adams 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.
Adams County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (17.3%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202679th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 71.1 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 rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 58.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.2% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.0% · 202464th percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance16.0% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,089 · 202452nd percentile
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- 41.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.3% · August 202527th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people139.3 · 202555th 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 Adams 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 Adams County, 12.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Adams County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Adams County had its largest rise, from 5.7% in 1974 to 11.3% in 1979.
In Adams County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 23.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Adams County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 23.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Adams County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.3% in 2010 to 22.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Adams County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 13.7% 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, Adams County, Washington.
How Adams County has changed
Adams County's population doubled to 21,039, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 15,646. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Adams County, Washington.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Adams County nearly doubled to 9,782, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 9,782. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Adams County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.6% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,687 | 2024 $66,089 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Adams County's history
1883
Created November 28, 1883, from Whitman County. Wikipedia
1904
Wheat became largest agricultural export from Adams County. Wikipedia
1946
Columbia Basin Project approved 1943 and implemented 1946. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 20,613, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A thunderstorm in May 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Adams County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Adams County beside its neighbors
Adams County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Adams County ranks 3rd of the five; Lincoln County is highest, at 31.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, WA | 68 | 14.4% | 23.3% |
| Grant County, WA | 62 | 16.8% | 25.2% |
| Franklin County, WA | 46 | 14.0% | 20.9% |
| Lincoln County, WA | 39 | 13.2% | 31.4% |
| Whitman County, WA | 38 | 23.0% | 19.7% |
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 Adams County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Adams County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 8th highest of 39 in Washington (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Whitman County, at 23.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Adams County ranks 3rd of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Adams 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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Northwest Justice Project (NJP)
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.
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 Adams County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.