Unemployment in Cowlitz County, Washington, is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Cowlitz County, 5.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cowlitz County's score
In Cowlitz County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.1. Housing costs come next, at 69.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cowlitz 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.
Cowlitz County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (2.8%, August 2025) and people with a credit card behind (3.8%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.3% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 69.1 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 rent23.6% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.0% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people126.7 · 202550th percentile
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- 38.5 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 line13.0% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability20.2% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,357 · 202422nd percentile
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- 25.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.8% · second quarter of 202640th 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 Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cowlitz County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cowlitz County had its largest rise, from 22.0% in 2004 to 27.3% in 2009.
In Cowlitz County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Cowlitz County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cowlitz County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.2% in 2010 to 18.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Cowlitz County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 15.1% 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, Cowlitz County, Washington.
How Cowlitz County has changed
Cowlitz County's population nearly doubled to 113,982, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 109,969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cowlitz County, Washington.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cowlitz County rose by about a quarter to 41,077, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 41,077. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cowlitz County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 10.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,499 | 2024 $78,357 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% 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 Cowlitz County's history
1980
Mount St. Helens eruption sent shock wave and ash to Kelso. Wikipedia
1998
Aldercrest-Banyon landslide destroyed 129 houses in east Kelso. Wikipedia
2015
A flood in December 2015 did $2,098,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Heavy rain in December 2015 did $2,098,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 did $1,799,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 110,730, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flood in September 2020 did $250 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cowlitz County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cowlitz County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cowlitz County, in Washington and Oregon, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cowlitz County ranks 3rd of the six; Wahkiakum County is highest, at 33.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, WA | 56 | 10.6% | 28.6% |
| Columbia County, OR | 55 | 9.8% | 26.4% |
| Cowlitz County, WA | 51 | 10.6% | 27.4% |
| Wahkiakum County, WA | 39 | 11.5% | 33.1% |
| 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 Cowlitz County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Cowlitz 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, Cowlitz County ranks 10th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.