Unemployment in Mason County, Washington, is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Mason County, 5.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mason County's score
In Mason County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 87.6. Housing costs come next, at 71.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mason 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.
Mason County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (2.5%, August 2025) and median household income ($84,112, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.0% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 71.9 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 rent22.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
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- 45.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.1% · 202455th percentile
- People with a disability19.4% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,112 · 202415th percentile
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- 36.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.3% · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people141.8 · 202556th percentile
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- 19.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.5% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.1% · second quarter of 202629th 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 Mason 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 Mason County, 24.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mason County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mason County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Mason County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mason County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.8% in 2011 to 15.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Mason County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 15.2%
Low on the chart: 8.5% 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, Mason County, Washington.
How Mason County has changed
Mason County's population more than tripled to 69,632, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 45,106. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mason County, Washington.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Mason County rose by about half to 15,089, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 13,782. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mason County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.8% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,082 | 2024 $84,112 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Mason County's history
1854
Formed from Thurston County, March 13, 1854. Wikipedia
1999
Heavy rain in March 1999 did $10.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Heavy rain in March 1999 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in December 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 65,726, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mason County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mason County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Mason County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mason County ranks 2nd of the six; Grays Harbor County is highest, 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% |
| Pierce County, WA | 51 | 9.4% | 18.6% |
| Thurston County, WA | 42 | 8.5% | 20.3% |
| Jefferson County, WA | 30 | 10.5% | 29.0% |
| 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 Mason County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Mason County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 17th 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, Mason County ranks 7th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mason 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.
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 Mason County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.