About one in eight people with a credit file in Whatcom County, Washington, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Whatcom County, 12.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Whatcom County's score
In Whatcom County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 92.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 15.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Whatcom 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, Whatcom County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (28.7%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.0 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 rent28.7% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.3% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
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- 53.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
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- 24.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.4% · 202434th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.0% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,471 · 202413th percentile
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- 21.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.2% · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people95.7 · 202533rd percentile
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- 15.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.5% · second quarter of 20269th 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 Whatcom 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 Whatcom County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Whatcom County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Whatcom County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 19.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Whatcom County, Washington, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Whatcom County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.3% in 2011 to 13.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Whatcom County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.3% 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, Whatcom County, Washington.
How Whatcom County has changed
Whatcom County's population had its largest rise, from 123,294 in 1989 to 147,593 in 1994.
Whatcom County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 234,954, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 206,688. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Whatcom County, Washington.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Whatcom County nearly doubled to 93,720, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 78,663. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Whatcom County, Washington.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 11.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,604 | 2024 $85,471 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Whatcom County's history
1854
Created March 9, 1854, from Island County. Wikipedia
1855
The Treaty of Point Elliott was signed, which assigned the Lummi and Semiahmoo peoples a greatly-restricted reserved area. Wikipedia
1858
Briefly swelled to over 10,000 before the bubble burst. Wikipedia
1899
Pacific American Fisheries incorporated in February 1899 in Fairhaven and became the world's largest canning operation, employing over 5,500 residents. Wikipedia
1955
The last mine closed in 1955. Wikipedia
1999
The Olympic Gas Pipeline exploded, flooding Whatcom Creek with gasoline and killing three people. Wikipedia
2009
A flood in January 2009 did $5.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 226,847, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flood in November 2021 did $34 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flood in November 2021 did $8.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1971
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Whatcom County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Whatcom County beside its neighbors
Of the two counties that border Whatcom County, one scores higher. Of the group, Whatcom County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Okanogan County gets the largest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okanogan County, WA | 60 | 21.7% | 32.4% |
| Whatcom County, WA | 34 | 11.4% | 19.9% |
| Skagit County, WA | 34 | 9.8% | 22.1% |
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 Whatcom County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Whatcom County's poverty rate was 11.4% in 2024, 21st 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, Whatcom County ranks 31st of 39 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Whatcom 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 Whatcom 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 Whatcom County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.