Unemployment in Asotin County, Washington, is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties
In Asotin County, 3.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Asotin County's score
In Asotin County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 61.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 28.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 75.4 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Asotin 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, Asotin County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (21.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.9 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 rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
-
- 50.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability21.2% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,914 · 202438th percentile
-
- 47.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202620th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.0% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
-
- 44.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.3% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
-
- 28.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.1% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people75.4 · 202522nd 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 Asotin 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 Asotin County, 25.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Asotin County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Asotin County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Asotin County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Asotin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.9% in 2011 to 17.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Asotin County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a quarter from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18.6%
High on the chart: 18.9% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Asotin County, Washington.
How Asotin County has changed
Asotin County's population had its largest rise, from 17,324 in 1989 to 19,454 in 1994.
Asotin County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22,523, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 17,324. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Asotin County, Washington.
The number of jobs located in Asotin County had its largest rise, from 3,615 in 1990 to 4,378 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Asotin County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,693, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 5,828. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Asotin County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.6% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,661 | 2024 $70,914 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Asotin County's history
1883
Partitioned from Garfield County in 1883. Wikipedia
2017
A flash flood in April 2017 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 22,285, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1964
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Asotin County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Asotin County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Asotin County, in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Asotin County ranks 2nd of the five; Garfield County is highest, at 34.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield County, WA | 50 | 12.9% | 34.1% |
| Asotin County, WA | 44 | 12.3% | 31.0% |
| Whitman County, WA | 38 | 23.0% | 19.7% |
| Wallowa County, OR | 34 | 11.7% | 29.0% |
| Nez Perce County, ID | 22 | 10.6% | 24.6% |
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 Asotin County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Asotin County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 16th 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, Asotin County ranks 17th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Asotin 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.
-
Northwest Justice Project (NJP)
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 Asotin 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 Asotin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.