About one in 13 people in Kitsap County, Washington, lives below the poverty line
In Kitsap County, 7.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kitsap County's score
In Kitsap County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 70.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 13.4. About three in ten people (29.4%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kitsap 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, Kitsap County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.0 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 rent23.1% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
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- 58.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 27.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.1% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people112 · 202542nd percentile
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- 15.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.3% · 202410th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$107,964 · 20243rd percentile
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- 13.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.9% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.4% · second quarter of 202611th 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 Kitsap 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 Kitsap County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kitsap County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kitsap County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 18.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Kitsap County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kitsap County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.9% in 2011 to 11.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Kitsap County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 7.9% 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, Kitsap County, Washington.
How Kitsap County has changed
Kitsap County's population had its largest rise, from 182,461 in 1989 to 214,422 in 1994.
Kitsap County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 281,420, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 254,765. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kitsap County, Washington.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Kitsap County rose by about half to 94,213, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 82,255. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kitsap County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.6% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,674 | 2024 $107,964 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Kitsap County's history
1857
January 16, 1857 as Slaughter County. Wikipedia
2007
Heavy rain in December 2007 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in December 2010 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A thunderstorm in December 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
EF2 tornado struck Port Orchard with winds 120-130 mph damaging 450 homes. Wikipedia
2018
A tornado in December 2018 did $1.18 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 275,611, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kitsap County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kitsap County beside its neighbors
All two counties that border Kitsap County score higher than it does. Of the group, Kitsap County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Mason County gets the largest, at 29.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason County, WA | 53 | 12.2% | 29.1% |
| Pierce County, WA | 51 | 9.4% | 18.6% |
| Kitsap County, WA | 27 | 7.8% | 18.1% |
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 Kitsap County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Kitsap County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 38th 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, Kitsap County ranks 36th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kitsap 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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American Financial Solutions
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.
Download the CSV for Kitsap 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 Kitsap County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.