About one in seven people with a credit file in Walla Walla County, Washington, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Walla Walla County, 13.8% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Walla Walla County's score
In Walla Walla County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 17.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.2%, August 2025, lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Walla Walla 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, Walla Walla County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.0 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 rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.7% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 54.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.3% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
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- 38.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.6% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.9% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,788 · 202433rd percentile
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- 34.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.8% · August 202514th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people138.1 · 202555th percentile
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- 17.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.7% · second quarter of 202624th 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 Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Walla Walla County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Walla Walla County rose most in two steps: 13.4% in 1984 to 16.4% in 1989; 18.9% in 2004 to 21.9% in 2009.
In Walla Walla County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Walla Walla County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Walla Walla County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.9% in 2016 to 13.5% in 2017.
The share of households in Walla Walla County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 13.5%
Low on the chart: 11.7% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Walla Walla County, Washington.
How Walla Walla County has changed
Walla Walla County's population had its largest rise, from 48,166 in 1989 to 53,250 in 1994.
Walla Walla County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 62,068
High on the chart: 62,289 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Walla Walla County, Washington.
The number of jobs located in Walla Walla County had its largest rise, from 20,478 in 1990 to 22,530 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Walla Walla County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 26,786. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Walla Walla County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,326 | 2024 $72,788 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Walla Walla County's history
1854
Created April 25, 1854. Wikipedia
2006
A thunderstorm in May 2006 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flash flood in July 2012 did $1.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 62,584, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flood in February 2020 did $8.77 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Walla Walla County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Walla Walla County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Walla Walla County, in Washington and Oregon, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Walla Walla County ranks 3rd of the five; Columbia County is highest, at 33.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, WA | 52 | 12.4% | 33.5% |
| Umatilla County, OR | 52 | 12.4% | 28.5% |
| Franklin County, WA | 46 | 14.0% | 20.9% |
| Walla Walla County, WA | 39 | 13.0% | 25.5% |
| Benton County, WA | 39 | 10.6% | 20.3% |
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 Walla Walla County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Walla Walla County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 12th 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, Walla Walla County ranks 24th of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Walla Walla 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.
Download the CSV for Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.