Thurston County, Washington

County Distress Index: Normal · 45.8 | 299,003 people · 24th most distressed in Washington
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Thurston County, WA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 45.8 — 1914th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Washington, it ranks 24th of 39 counties. It scores lower than all 4 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Thurston County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 88.6 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 88.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 96
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 91
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 97
Homeownership Rate 78
Rent-to-Income Ratio 82
Employment & Wages 68.9
Unemployment Rate 82
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 87
Business Formation Rate 38
Community Vulnerability 30.9
Uninsured Rate 18
Disability Rate 44
Debt & Delinquency 26.6
Debt in Collections 21
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 17
Auto Loan Delinquency 28
Credit Card Delinquency 28
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 59
Income & Poverty 14.1
Poverty Rate 20
Income vs. State Median 11
Child Poverty Rate 12

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Thurston County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Thurston County
Thurston County, WA 45.8 Normal —
Grays Harbor County, WA 59.4 Elevated +13.6
Lewis County, WA 56.8 Elevated +11.0
Mason County, WA 49.5 Normal +3.8
Pierce County, WA 47.1 Normal +1.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Thurston County
Onondaga County, NY 45.7 Normal -0.1
Fayette County, KY 45.6 Normal -0.2
Erie County, NY 45.6 Normal -0.2
York County, SC 46.0 Normal +0.2
Lexington County, SC 46.0 Normal +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Thurston County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Thurston County

Find an Attorney

Washington State Bar Association — Find Legal Help offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Washington State Bar Association — Find Legal Help 1-800-945-9722

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Thurston County residents at no cost.

Northwest Justice Project (NJP) 1-888-201-1014
Columbia Legal Services 1-206-464-1122

Self-Help Resources

Washington Law Help — Foreclosure Free legal information and self-help resources for low-income Washington residents, including foreclosure guides, tenant rights in foreclosure, and links to legal aid.
Washington Courts Self-Help Resources Washington Courts website with forms, instructions, and resources for self-represented litigants including those involved in foreclosure-related proceedings.
DFI Foreclosure Assistance and Information Department of Financial Institutions page with foreclosure prevention resources, consumer alerts about foreclosure rescue scams, and links to assistance programs.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Washington →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Thurston County, Washington?

    Thurston County has a County Distress Index score of 45.8 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,914th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 24th in Washington out of 39 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Thurston County?

    The primary driver of distress in Thurston County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 88.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Thurston County compare to neighboring counties?

    Thurston County (45.8) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Grays Harbor County, WA (59.4); Lewis County, WA (56.8); Mason County, WA (49.5).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Thurston County?

    Thurston County, Washington has a population of approximately 299,003 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.