About one in nine people with a credit file in Jefferson County, Washington, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Jefferson County, 10.6% 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 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 4.9. People with a car or retail loan behind: 0.9%, August 2025, lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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, Jefferson County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a disability (20.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.3% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 53.7 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 rent14.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.8% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 35.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.5% · 202426th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability20.2% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance3.8% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,245 · 202420th percentile
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- 23.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.6% · August 20254th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people112.7 · 202542nd percentile
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- 4.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.3% · August 20254th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.9% · August 20251st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.9% · second quarter of 20268th 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 40.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (6.5% in 2009) to 8.7% in 2010.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 8.1%
Low on the chart: 6.5% 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, Jefferson County, Washington.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest rise, from 19,273 in 1989 to 23,607 in 1994.
Jefferson County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33,944, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 30,306. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Washington.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County nearly doubled to 9,204, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 6,792. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.6% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,767 | 2024 $80,245 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Jefferson County's history
1890
Port Townsend saw rapid decline when Northern Pacific Railroad failed to connect. Wikipedia
1920
Paper mill built and Fort Worden artillery fortifications developed. Wikipedia
2001
Heavy rain in August 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Heavy rain in November 2006 did $5.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Heavy rain in December 2007 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 32,977, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1979
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
All three counties that border Jefferson County score higher than it does. Of the group, Jefferson County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Grays Harbor County gets the largest, at 34.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grays Harbor County, WA | 77 | 15.9% | 34.9% |
| Mason County, WA | 53 | 12.2% | 29.1% |
| Clallam County, WA | 45 | 10.6% | 31.5% |
| 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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 29th 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, Jefferson County ranks 33rd of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.