About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Washakie County, Wyoming, have a job
In Washakie County, 15.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washakie County's score
In Washakie County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 42.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 13.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 25.9 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washakie 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, Washakie County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 42.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.4% · 202434th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability14.1% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- People without health insurance12.8% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,635 · 202444th percentile
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- 25.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th percentile
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- 21.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202626th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
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- 14.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.1% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.3% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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- 13.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.1% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people25.9 · 20255th or lower 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 Washakie 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 Washakie County, 24.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washakie County
Wyoming
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Washakie County rose most in two steps: 14.0% in 2004 to 18.6% in 2009; 17.9% in 2014 to 22.5% in 2019.
In Washakie County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 26.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Washakie County, Wyoming, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washakie County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 5.0% in 2023 to 7.6% in 2024.
The share of households in Washakie County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 2.1% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Washakie County, Wyoming.
How Washakie County has changed
Washakie County's population had its largest drop, from 10,004 in 1984 to 8,501 in 1989.
Washakie County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 10,004 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washakie County, Wyoming.
The number of jobs located in Washakie County rose most sharply from its first year (3,156 in 1990) to 3,621 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Washakie County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 3,948 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washakie County, Wyoming.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 11.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,697 | 2024 $68,635 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Washakie County's history
1911
February 21, 1911 (authorized) 1913 (organized). Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 9,496. The 2020 Census counted 7,685, 81% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1978
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washakie County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washakie County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Washakie County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washakie County ranks 4th of the seven; Big Horn County is highest, at 27.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont County, WY | 43 | 12.5% | 26.6% |
| Big Horn County, WY | 35 | 12.6% | 27.0% |
| Hot Springs County, WY | 35 | 11.5% | 26.7% |
| Natrona County, WY | 31 | 10.7% | 15.8% |
| Park County, WY | 10 | 9.9% | 18.8% |
| Washakie County, WY | 8 | 11.4% | 26.2% |
| Johnson County, WY | 3 | 8.0% | 19.8% |
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 Washakie County the poorest county in Wyoming?
No, Washakie County's poverty rate was 11.4% in 2024, 7th highest of 23 in Wyoming (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Albany County, at 15.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Washakie County ranks 17th of 23 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washakie 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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Legal Aid of Wyoming, Inc.
Legal aid
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Equal Justice Wyoming
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 Washakie 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 Washakie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.