In King County, Washington, benefit checks make up only 8 cents of every dollar of income
In King County, 7.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives King County's score
In King County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 10.7. The typical household earns $121,984 a year (2024), more than in 98% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in King 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, King County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.1%, fiscal year 2027) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.8 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.1% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 53.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202680th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 16.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.1% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people81.4 · 202526th percentile
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- 13.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.2% · second quarter of 20263rd percentile
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- 10.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.8% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.6% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability10.3% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$121,984 · 20241st 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 King 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 King County, 14.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
King County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in King County rose most sharply from its first year (6.3% in 1969) to 9.6% in 1974.
In King County, pay from work still brings in about eight times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In King County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 7.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in King County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.0% in 2011 to 9.1% in 2012.
The share of households in King County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.3% 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, King County, Washington.
How King County has changed
King County's population had its largest rise, from 1,912,012 in 2009 to 2,086,088 in 2014.
King County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 2,340,211, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 1,153,000. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, King County, Washington.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in King County rose by more than half to 1,436,484, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 1,166,495. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, King County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.0% | 2024 8.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $37,030 | 2024 $121,984 |
The table uses 4.5% 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 King County's history
1853
Coal discovered along Black River. Wikipedia
1996
Heavy rain in December 1996 did $31.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Heavy rain in December 2007 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in January 2009 did $14 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Heavy rain in February 2017 did $33 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 2,269,675, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered King County, 25 of them for flooding. FEMA
King County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border King County, four score higher. Of the group, King County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Yakima County gets the largest, at 27.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yakima County, WA | 69 | 16.7% | 27.9% |
| Pierce County, WA | 51 | 9.4% | 18.6% |
| Kittitas County, WA | 44 | 12.9% | 21.0% |
| Snohomish County, WA | 36 | 8.6% | 13.1% |
| King County, WA | 23 | 8.8% | 7.7% |
| 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 King County the poorest county in Washington?
No, King County's poverty rate was 8.8% in 2024, 34th 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, King County ranks 37th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in King 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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Credit.org - Seattle Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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EL Centro de LA Raza
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
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 King County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.