About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Grays Harbor County, Washington, is not working
In Grays Harbor County, 31.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grays Harbor County's score
In Grays Harbor County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.8. Housing costs come next, at 76.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grays Harbor 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.
Grays Harbor County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (4.0%, August 2025) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (20.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.7% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 76.9 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 rent21.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.8% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 65.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.9% · 202470th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability22.0% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,481 · 202462nd percentile
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- 53.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.6% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people169.5 · 202566th percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.9% · second quarter of 202648th 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 Grays Harbor 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 Grays Harbor County, 23.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grays Harbor County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grays Harbor County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 40% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Grays Harbor County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Grays Harbor County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 19.8% in 2019 to 17.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Grays Harbor County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 18.2%
Low on the chart: 17.1% 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, Grays Harbor County, Washington.
How Grays Harbor County has changed
Grays Harbor County's population rose by about a third to 77,893, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 65,804. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grays Harbor County, Washington.
The number of jobs located in Grays Harbor County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 24,714 in 2005 to 22,528 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Grays Harbor County rose 4% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 24,714 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grays Harbor County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.5% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.2% | 2024 15.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,402 | 2024 $62,481 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Grays Harbor County's history
1854
April 14, 1854 as Chehalis County. Wikipedia
1915
Renamed Grays Harbor County March 15, 1915, effective June 9. Wikipedia
1996
A flood in December 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Heavy rain in March 1997 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Heavy rain in January 2006 did $2.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 75,636, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A flood in January 2022 did $3.39 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grays Harbor County, 26 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grays Harbor County beside its neighbors
Grays Harbor County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grays Harbor County ranks 2nd of the six; Pacific County is highest, at 40.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grays Harbor County, WA | 77 | 15.9% | 34.9% |
| Lewis County, WA | 56 | 10.6% | 28.6% |
| Mason County, WA | 53 | 12.2% | 29.1% |
| Pacific County, WA | 50 | 11.7% | 40.2% |
| Thurston County, WA | 42 | 8.5% | 20.3% |
| Jefferson County, WA | 30 | 10.5% | 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 Grays Harbor County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Grays Harbor County's poverty rate was 15.9% in 2024, 6th 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, Grays Harbor County ranks 1st of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grays Harbor 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 Grays Harbor 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 Grays Harbor County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.