About one in eight people with a credit file in Douglas County, Washington, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Douglas County, 12.8% 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 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Douglas County's score
In Douglas County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 60.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 22.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Douglas 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, Douglas County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people without health insurance (13.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.7 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 rent18.2% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.0% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 44.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.7% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance13.3% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,714 · 202425th percentile
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- 24.6 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 behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.9% · second quarter of 202615th percentile
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- 22.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.8% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people98.2 · 202535th 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County, 18.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Douglas County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Douglas County rose most in two steps: 13.5% in 1989 to 16.6% in 1994; 19.6% in 2004 to 22.7% in 2009.
In Douglas County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 23.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Douglas County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.2% in 2022 to 13.3% in 2023.
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 14.3%
Low on the chart: 8.5% 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, Douglas County, Washington.
How Douglas County has changed
Douglas County's population had its largest rise, from 25,806 in 1989 to 30,371 in 1994.
Douglas County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 45,795, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 34,086. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Douglas County, Washington.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County had its largest rise, from 8,893 in 2000 to 10,166 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County rose by about half to 12,413, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 12,413 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Douglas County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.4% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,775 | 2024 $76,714 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Douglas County's history
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 42,938, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flash flood in July 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Douglas County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Douglas County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Douglas County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Douglas County ranks 3rd of the five; Okanogan County is highest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County, WA | 62 | 16.8% | 25.2% |
| Okanogan County, WA | 60 | 21.7% | 32.4% |
| Kittitas County, WA | 44 | 12.9% | 21.0% |
| Douglas County, WA | 35 | 10.9% | 23.6% |
| Chelan County, WA | 20 | 10.2% | 21.7% |
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 Douglas County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 22nd 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, Douglas County ranks 30th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.