Adams County, Washington
Above the national median for unemployment (average of monthly rates) — and 9.4× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).
Main Findings
Adams County, Washington is more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 5% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 — above the national median of 4%. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor and its lowest is Default & Legal.
- 3rd of 39 counties in Washington on the County Distress Index — 68 · moderate-high county distress, more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
- 5% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at the 80th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 22% — national median 18%, ranked at the 71st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Auto loan delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Uninsured rate at 16% — national median 8%, ranked at the 92nd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 25-point drop to Whitman County marks where the Washington distress corridor ends.
Adams County has a moderate-high county distress score. The domain mix shows whether pressure is concentrated or spread across the profile.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-high county distress label. The domain table shows whether the score comes from debt, labor, safety-net pressure, or a mix. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024), Adams County's disability rate indicator is at the 13th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 52nd percentile. The gap stands out against uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Ritzville.
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 Adams County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Adams County's value shown alongside WA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Adams | WA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 60 · Rank 1,208 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 3% | 5% | 77th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 6% | 4% | 5% | 56th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 23% | 17% | 23% | 47th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 42 · Rank 1,909 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 17% | 15% | 23% | 28th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 139 | 113 | 126 | 56th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 71 · Rank 676 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 23% | 23% | 21% | 71st | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 22% | 22% | 18% | 71st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 75 · Rank 592 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 24% | 23% | 21% | 70th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 5% | 5% | 4% | 80th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 56 · Rank 1,324 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 14% | 17% | 65th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 12% | 16% | 16% | 13th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 12% | 13% | 60th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 16% | 6% | 8% | 92nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
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 scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. 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 five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Adams County data.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
RITZVILLE, Wash. — Adams County is more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Adams scores 68 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 68% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate-high county distress. Within Washington, Adams ranks third of 39 counties.
The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies labor as the primary driver in Adams. 5% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 — above the national median of 4%.
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 Adams County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Adams County's distress score?
How does Adams County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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