Benefit checks make up 34 cents of every dollar of income in Columbia County, Washington
In Columbia County, 33.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Columbia County's score
In Columbia County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 69.7. Unemployment averaged 4.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 70% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 57.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Columbia 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.
Columbia County does better than most counties on two measures: people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (15.2%, August 2025) and people below the poverty line (12.4%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202670th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.1% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 57.0 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 rent19.8% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
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- 53.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.8% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,904 · 202446th percentile
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- 43.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.1% · second quarter of 202649th percentile
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- 34.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.2% · August 202519th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.4 · 202548th 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County, 29.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Columbia County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Columbia County rose most in two steps: 8.8% in 1974 to 13.8% in 1979; 26.7% in 2009 to 31.7% in 2014.
In Columbia County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 33.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Columbia County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 33.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Columbia County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.3% in 2017 to 12.6% in 2018.
The share of households in Columbia County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 10.0% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Columbia County, Washington.
How Columbia County has changed
Columbia County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 4,428 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Columbia County, Washington.
The number of jobs located in Columbia County rose most sharply after its 1995 low, from 1,167 in 1995 to 1,729 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Columbia County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,729 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Columbia County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.5% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,346 | 2024 $67,904 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Columbia County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 7,128. The 2020 Census counted 3,952, 55% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Columbia County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Columbia County beside its neighbors
Columbia County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Washington and Oregon. For the share of income from benefit checks, Columbia County ranks 2nd of the seven; Garfield County is highest, at 34.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, WA | 52 | 12.4% | 33.5% |
| Umatilla County, OR | 52 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Garfield County, WA | 50 | 12.9% | 34.1% |
| Franklin County, WA | 46 | 14.0% | 20.9% |
| Walla Walla County, WA | 39 | 13.0% | 25.5% |
| Whitman County, WA | 38 | 23.0% | 19.7% |
| Wallowa County, OR | 34 | 11.7% | 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 Columbia County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Columbia County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 15th 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, Columbia County ranks 8th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.