County Data

Washington County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 39 counties in Washington, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 40.6.

Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26

Washington Snapshot

39 Counties Scored
40.6 Mean Score
40.8 Median Score
58.8 Yakima County Most Distressed
26.4 Lincoln County Least Distressed
4 Elevated 24 Normal 11 Healthy
Zone Distribution

Washington County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 39 Washington counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Most & Least Distressed

Most Distressed

#1 Yakima County
58.8 Elevated
Legal Distress
#2 Adams County
56.2 Elevated
Housing Cost Burden
#3 Pierce County
51.2 Elevated
Housing Cost Burden

Least Distressed

#39 Lincoln County
26.4 Healthy
Structural Poverty
#38 Jefferson County
27.2 Healthy
Economic Vitality
#37 San Juan County
29.0 Healthy
Economic Vitality

Score Distribution

How Washington's 39 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.

All Washington Counties

39 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.

State Rank Nat'l Rank County Score Zone Primary Driver
1 1,032 Yakima County 58.8 Elevated Legal Distress
2 1,192 Adams County 56.2 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
3 1,509 Pierce County 51.2 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
4 1,532 Grays Harbor County 50.8 Elevated Structural Poverty
5 1,669 Grant County 48.6 Normal Housing Cost Burden
6 1,680 Lewis County 48.5 Normal Housing Cost Burden
7 1,689 Asotin County 48.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
8 1,733 Spokane County 47.7 Normal Housing Cost Burden
9 1,788 Cowlitz County 46.9 Normal Housing Cost Burden
10 1,847 Franklin County 46.0 Normal Economic Vitality
11 1,860 Thurston County 45.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
12 1,881 Kittitas County 45.3 Normal Housing Cost Burden
13 1,957 Okanogan County 44.0 Normal Structural Poverty
14 1,982 Walla Walla County 43.5 Normal Housing Cost Burden
15 2,010 Clark County 43.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
16 2,049 Benton County 42.3 Normal Housing Cost Burden
17 2,066 Whatcom County 42.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden
18 2,120 Whitman County 41.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
19 2,124 Snohomish County 41.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden
20 2,146 Pacific County 40.8 Normal Structural Poverty
21 2,163 Clallam County 40.5 Normal Housing Cost Burden
22 2,191 Skagit County 40.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden
23 2,211 Douglas County 39.7 Normal Economic Vitality
24 2,266 Kitsap County 38.9 Normal Housing Cost Burden
25 2,284 Mason County 38.4 Normal Economic Vitality
26 2,304 Klickitat County 38.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
27 2,381 Garfield County 36.7 Normal Structural Poverty
28 2,396 Wahkiakum County 36.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
29 2,482 Columbia County 34.9 Healthy Structural Poverty
30 2,495 Stevens County 34.7 Healthy Structural Poverty
31 2,513 Island County 34.3 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
32 2,636 Chelan County 32.3 Healthy Economic Vitality
33 2,664 Skamania County 31.7 Healthy Economic Vitality
34 2,675 Ferry County 31.6 Healthy Structural Poverty
35 2,680 King County 31.4 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
36 2,720 Pend Oreille County 30.7 Healthy Structural Poverty
37 2,803 San Juan County 29.0 Healthy Economic Vitality
38 2,880 Jefferson County 27.2 Healthy Economic Vitality
39 2,915 Lincoln County 26.4 Healthy Structural Poverty

How County Scores Work

Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.

Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties

Full CDI methodology and data sources

Washington Resources

Washington State Profile

State ADI score: 47.5 (Normal). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for Washington.

Find Help in Washington

HUD-approved housing counselors, legal aid offices, credit counselors, and debtor education providers in Washington.

Washington Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in Washington.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare Washington to the rest of the country.

National County Profiles

All 3,144 U.S. counties ranked by financial distress score.
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If you're struggling with debt or facing foreclosure, free help is available. Find help near you · Browse the Glossary · The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides HUD-approved housing counselors at no cost. You can also call 1-800-569-4287.