Alpine County, California

County Distress Index: Normal · 47.9 | 1,141 people · 43rd most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Alpine County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 47.9 — 1756th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within California, it ranks 43rd of 58 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Alpine County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 94.9 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 94.9
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 95
Business Formation Rate 95
Income & Poverty 64.2
Poverty Rate 65
Income vs. State Median 43
Child Poverty Rate 84
Housing Cost Burden 34.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 89
Homeownership Rate 15
Rent-to-Income Ratio 59
Debt & Delinquency 33.2
Debt in Collections 30
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 43
Auto Loan Delinquency 32
Credit Card Delinquency 41
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 46
Community Vulnerability 12.7
Uninsured Rate 18
Disability Rate 8

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Alpine County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Alpine County
Alpine County, CA 47.9 Normal —
Tuolumne County, CA 61.1 Elevated +13.3
Calaveras County, CA 58.0 Elevated +10.1
Amador County, CA 50.9 Elevated +3.1
Douglas County, NV 42.0 Normal -5.8
Mono County, CA 41.4 Normal -6.5
El Dorado County, CA 39.1 Normal -8.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Alpine County
Cheyenne County, KS 47.9 Normal 0.0
Petroleum County, MT 47.9 Normal -0.0
Ritchie County, WV 47.9 Normal +0.0
Garfield County, MT 47.8 Normal -0.1
Sutton County, TX 47.8 Normal -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Alpine County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Alpine County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer 1-866-442-2529

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Alpine County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) 1-800-399-4529
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) 1-800-433-6251
Bay Area Legal Aid 1-800-551-5554
Legal Services of Northern California 1-800-822-9687
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) 1-800-337-0690
Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS) 1-888-245-4257
Legal Aid Society of San Diego 1-877-534-2524
Community Legal Aid SoCal 1-800-834-5001
California Indian Legal Services, Inc. (760) 746-8941
Central California Legal Services (800) 675-8001
Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. (661) 325-5943

Self-Help Resources

California Courts Self-Help — Foreclosure and Mortgage Help Official California courts self-help resource with information on foreclosure procedures, homeowner rights, tenant protections in foreclosure, and links to free legal help.
LawHelpCA — Foreclosure Prevention Statewide legal aid directory connecting Californians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention, including links to self-help guides and intake forms.
California Attorney General — Homeowner Bill of Rights Official AG page explaining HBOR protections, including fact sheets on dual-tracking prohibition, single point of contact, and how to file a complaint about servicer violations.
DFPI Mortgage Relief Resources DFPI consumer resources for housing and mortgage issues, including information on PACE financing, foreclosure scam alerts, and how to file complaints against licensees.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Alpine County, California?

    Alpine County has a County Distress Index score of 47.9 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,756th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 43rd in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Alpine County?

    The primary driver of distress in Alpine County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 94.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Alpine County compare to neighboring counties?

    Alpine County (47.9) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Tuolumne County, CA (61.1); Calaveras County, CA (58.0); Amador County, CA (50.9).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Alpine County?

    Alpine County, California has a population of approximately 1,141 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.