Wahkiakum County, Washington

County Distress Index: Normal · 44.4 | 4,765 people · 30th most distressed in Washington
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Wahkiakum County, WA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 44.4 — 2039th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Washington, it ranks 30th of 39 counties. It scores lower than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Wahkiakum County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 66.2 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 66.2
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 81
Business Formation Rate 23
Income & Poverty 49.2
Poverty Rate 32
Income vs. State Median 57
Child Poverty Rate 60
Housing Cost Burden 48.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 95
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 95
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 12
Homeownership Rate 5
Rent-to-Income Ratio 34
Community Vulnerability 45.3
Uninsured Rate 15
Disability Rate 75
Debt & Delinquency 13.2
Debt in Collections 16
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 18
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 28

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Wahkiakum County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Wahkiakum County
Wahkiakum County, WA 44.4 Normal —
Clatsop County, OR 59.3 Elevated +14.9
Lewis County, WA 56.8 Elevated +12.3
Cowlitz County, WA 54.5 Elevated +10.1
Pacific County, WA 52.4 Elevated +8.0
Columbia County, OR 50.4 Elevated +6.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Wahkiakum County
Columbia County, WA 44.5 Normal +0.1
Lincoln County, ID 44.3 Normal -0.1
Brown County, NE 44.3 Normal -0.1
Lexington city, VA 44.3 Normal -0.1
Frontier County, NE 44.5 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Wahkiakum 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 Wahkiakum 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Wahkiakum County has a County Distress Index score of 44.4 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,039th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 30th in Washington out of 39 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Wahkiakum County?

    The primary driver of distress in Wahkiakum County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 66.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Wahkiakum County compare to neighboring counties?

    Wahkiakum County (44.4) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Clatsop County, OR (59.3); Lewis County, WA (56.8); Cowlitz County, WA (54.5).

  • 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 Wahkiakum County?

    Wahkiakum County, Washington has a population of approximately 4,765 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.