Whatcom County, Washington
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Whatcom County, Washington ranks 1,783rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 28% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 1,783rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 46.7 · moderate-low county distress, 22nd in Washington.
- 28% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 96th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 75th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Safety Net & Buffer domain score 28 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
- Default & Legal domain score 21 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Whatcom County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Whatcom County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Whatcom County's value shown alongside WA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Whatcom | WA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 15 · Rank 2,804 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 3% | 5% | 27th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 4% | 5% | 9th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 14% | 17% | 23% | 9th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 21 · Rank 2,732 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 12% | 15% | 23% | 9th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 96 | 113 | 126 | 34th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 94 · Rank 73 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 28% | 23% | 21% | 92nd | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 28% | 21% | 18% | 96th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 75 · Rank 745 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 5% | 4% | 75th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 28 · Rank 2,469 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 12% | 16% | 18% | 21st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 14% | 16% | 16% | 29th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 13% | 12% | 14% | 45th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 6% | 8% | 25th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Whatcom County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Whatcom County ranks 1,783rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 46.7 out of 100 gives Whatcom a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,782 counties rank more distressed. Within Washington, Whatcom ranks 22nd of 39 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Whatcom. 28% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Whatcom County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How does Whatcom County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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