Unemployment in Yakima County, Washington, is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Yakima County, 6.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Yakima County's score
In Yakima County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.0. Unemployment averaged 6.1%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 93% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 59.4.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Yakima County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.9%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($72,458, 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Yakima County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 79.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.1% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average6.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202693rd percentile
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- 59.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.5% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people216.3 · 202578th percentile
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- 57.6 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.9% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 57.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.7% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,458 · 202434th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance12.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 53.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.2% · Q4 202557th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Yakima County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Yakima County
Washington
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Yakima County in 2024, pay from work was 56 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Yakima County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Yakima County, Washington: 27.9% and 55.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.9% of all personal income in Yakima County, Washington (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Yakima County, 14.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Yakima County has changed
The number of people living in Yakima County grew by about 83% between 1969 and 2024, from 141,416 to 258,523. The number of jobs located there grew by about 42% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 11.0% in 1990 to 5.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 141,416 | 2024 258,523 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 82,083 | 2024 116,547 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.0% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.5% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,370 | 2024 $72,458 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.9% | 2024 27.9% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Yakima County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 256,728, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1858
Skirmishes and local war (the Yakima War, which lasted until 1858). Wikipedia
1858
The Yakamas were defeated and forced to relocate to the Yakama Indian Reservation. Wikipedia
2009
Flood: $1.57 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Yakima County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Yakima County beside its neighbors
Yakima County scores higher than all eight counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Yakima County ranks 3rd of the nine; Klickitat County is highest, at 29.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yakima County, WA | 69 | 16.7% | 27.9% |
| Grant County, WA | 63 | 16.8% | 25.2% |
| Lewis County, WA | 56 | 10.6% | 28.6% |
| Pierce County, WA | 53 | 9.4% | 18.6% |
| Klickitat County, WA | 45 | 12.2% | 29.1% |
| Kittitas County, WA | 44 | 12.9% | 21.0% |
| Benton County, WA | 39 | 10.6% | 20.3% |
| Skamania County, WA | 27 | 10.3% | 19.4% |
| King County, WA | 23 | 8.8% | 7.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Yakima County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Yakima County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 4th 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, Yakima County ranks 2nd of 39 in the state.
Yakima County in photographs
Places in Yakima County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Old North Yakima Historic District, Roughly bounded by E.
A cloud laden view from a city bus in Yakima, Washington, traveling west down Nob Hill Boulevard.
Photo: September Autumnleaf… via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Yakima County, Washington: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Yakima County, Washington?
16.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 20.7%.
Is Yakima County the poorest county in Washington?
No, Yakima County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 4th 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, Yakima County ranks 2nd of 39 in the state.
What is the population of Yakima County, Washington?
About 258,523 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 256,728, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Yakima County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Catholic Charities Housing Services
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Oic of Washington
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Northwest Justice Project (NJP)
Legal aid
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Columbia Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Yakima County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Yakima County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.