Clark County, Washington

County Distress Index: Normal · 41.3 | 521,150 people · 33rd most distressed in Washington
American Default Research

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Clark County, WA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 41.3 — 2269th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Washington, it ranks 33rd of 39 counties. Among its 4 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Clark County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 81.9 — worse than roughly 82% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 81.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 88
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 73
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 95
Homeownership Rate 82
Rent-to-Income Ratio 72
Employment & Wages 59.9
Unemployment Rate 83
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 85
Business Formation Rate 12
Community Vulnerability 31.3
Uninsured Rate 38
Disability Rate 24
Debt & Delinquency 27.3
Debt in Collections 20
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 17
Auto Loan Delinquency 30
Credit Card Delinquency 27
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 63
Income & Poverty 6.4
Poverty Rate 5
Income vs. State Median 8
Child Poverty Rate 6

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clark County
Clark County, WA 41.3 Normal —
Cowlitz County, WA 54.5 Elevated +13.2
Columbia County, OR 50.4 Elevated +9.1
Multnomah County, OR 48.3 Normal +6.9
Skamania County, WA 40.9 Normal -0.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clark County
Douglas County, NE 41.4 Normal +0.0
Weber County, UT 41.2 Normal -0.1
Weld County, CO 41.6 Normal +0.3
Baldwin County, AL 41.0 Normal -0.3
Capitol Planning Region, CT 41.8 Normal +0.5

Download Data

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

Find Help in Clark 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 Clark 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 Clark County, Washington?

    Clark County has a County Distress Index score of 41.3 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,269th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 33rd in Washington out of 39 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Clark County?

    The primary driver of distress in Clark County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 81.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Clark County compare to neighboring counties?

    Clark County (41.3) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Cowlitz County, WA (54.5); Columbia County, OR (50.4); Multnomah County, OR (48.3).

  • 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 Clark County?

    Clark County, Washington has a population of approximately 521,150 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.