About one in 10 people with a credit file in Island County, Washington, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Island County, 10.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Island County's score
In Island County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 77.8. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 8.2. About one in four people (27.5%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Island 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, Island County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.8 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 rent22.2% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.7% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 64.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 21.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.6% · 202412th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.0% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability16.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- People without health insurance4.5% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,776 · 202411th percentile
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- 19.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.5% · August 20254th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people96.2 · 202534th percentile
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- 8.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.6% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.5% · second quarter of 20267th 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 Island 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 Island County, 26.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Island County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Island County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 22.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Island County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Island County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.2% in 2018 to 7.6% in 2019.
The share of households in Island 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: 5.6% 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, Island County, Washington.
How Island County has changed
Island County's population had its largest rise, from 47,308 in 1984 to 57,493 in 1989.
Island County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 86,478, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 86,478. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Island County, Washington.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Island County nearly doubled to 18,140, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 13,256. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Island County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.5% | 2024 8.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,866 | 2024 $88,776 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Island County's history
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 86,857, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1980
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Island County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Island County beside its neighbors
All one counties that border Island County score higher than it does.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snohomish County, WA | 36 | 8.6% | 13.1% |
| Island County, WA | 29 | 8.6% | 22.7% |
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 Island County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Island County's poverty rate was 8.6% in 2024, 35th 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, Island County ranks 34th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Island 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 Island 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 Island County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.