About one in eight people with a credit file in Clallam County, Washington, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Clallam County, 12.7% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clallam County's score
In Clallam County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.8. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 20.4. People with a credit card behind: 2.8%, August 2025, lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clallam 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, Clallam County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (20.7%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.8 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 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 71.2 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 rent21.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
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- 42.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.6% · 202427th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability20.7% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,311 · 202430th percentile
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- 23.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.7% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people103.1 · 202537th percentile
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- 20.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.3% · second quarter of 202620th 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 Clallam 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 Clallam County, 32.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clallam County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clallam County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Clallam County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clallam County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.3% in 2011 to 13.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Clallam County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 13.0%
Low on the chart: 9.2% 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, Clallam County, Washington.
How Clallam County has changed
Clallam County's population had its largest rise, from 40,705 in 1974 to 49,969 in 1979.
Clallam County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 77,958, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 72,172. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clallam County, Washington.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Clallam County rose 37% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 22,581. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clallam County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 10.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,667 | 2024 $74,311 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Clallam County's history
1997
Rayonier specialty pulp mill shuttered. Wikipedia
2009
Heavy rain in January 2009 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 77,155, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flood in November 2021 did $5.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1979
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clallam County, 21 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clallam County beside its neighbors
Clallam County scores higher than all one counties that border it.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clallam County, WA | 45 | 10.6% | 31.5% |
| Jefferson County, WA | 30 | 10.5% | 29.0% |
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 Clallam County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Clallam County's poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, 24th 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, Clallam County ranks 15th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clallam 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.
Download the CSV for Clallam 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 Clallam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.