About one in 13 people in Clark County, Washington, lives below the poverty line
In Clark County, 7.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clark County's score
In Clark County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 69.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 17.3. The typical household earns $99,396 a year (2024), more than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clark 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.
Clark County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.2 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
-
- 61.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.4% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
-
- 41.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.3% · August 202519th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people160.2 · 202563rd percentile
-
- 23.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.6% · second quarter of 202614th percentile
-
- 17.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.9% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$99,396 · 20245th 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 Clark 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 Clark County, 16.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clark County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Clark County had its largest rise, from 13.1% in 2004 to 17.4% in 2009.
In Clark County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 16.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Clark County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clark County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.0% in 2011 to 14.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Clark County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 9.5% 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, Clark County, Washington.
How Clark County has changed
Clark County's population had its largest rise, from 283,560 in 1994 to 339,541 in 1999.
Clark County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 527,269, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 201,634. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clark County, Washington.
The number of jobs located in Clark County had its largest rise in the last span, from 156,211 in 2020 to 182,798 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Clark County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 182,798, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 126,733. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clark County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,039 | 2024 $99,396 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Clark County's history
1845
August 20, 1845 as Vancouver District. Wikipedia
1849
Renamed Clarke County September 3, 1849. Wikipedia
1902
Yacolt Burn largest fire in state history. Wikipedia
1972
A tornado in April 1972 did $25 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in June 2011 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Heavy rain in December 2015 did $1,781,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 503,311, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1964
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clark County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clark County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Clark County, in Washington and Oregon, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clark County ranks 4th of the five; Cowlitz County is highest, at 27.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, OR | 55 | 9.8% | 26.4% |
| Cowlitz County, WA | 51 | 10.6% | 27.4% |
| Multnomah County, OR | 49 | 12.7% | 16.1% |
| Clark County, WA | 37 | 7.8% | 16.8% |
| Skamania County, WA | 27 | 10.3% | 19.4% |
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 Clark County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Clark County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 38th 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, Clark County ranks 28th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clark 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.
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 Clark County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.