Amador County, California

County Distress Index: Elevated · 50.9 | 41,811 people · 35th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Amador County, CA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 50.9 — 1517th 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 35th of 58 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Amador County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 89.7 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 89.7
Unemployment Rate 91
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 91
Business Formation Rate 87
Housing Cost Burden 60.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 74
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 34
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 94
Homeownership Rate 18
Rent-to-Income Ratio 81
Community Vulnerability 41.9
Uninsured Rate 28
Disability Rate 56
Income & Poverty 38.8
Poverty Rate 35
Income vs. State Median 52
Child Poverty Rate 29
Debt & Delinquency 24.1
Debt in Collections 21
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 3
Auto Loan Delinquency 29
Credit Card Delinquency 20
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 64

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Amador County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Amador County
Amador County, CA 50.9 Elevated —
Calaveras County, CA 58.0 Elevated +7.0
San Joaquin County, CA 55.9 Elevated +4.9
Sacramento County, CA 49.6 Normal -1.4
Alpine County, CA 47.9 Normal -3.1
El Dorado County, CA 39.1 Normal -11.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Amador County
Southampton County, VA 51.0 Elevated +0.0
Hopkins County, KY 51.0 Elevated +0.0
Jefferson County, IN 51.0 Elevated +0.0
Vermillion County, IN 50.9 Elevated -0.0
Towns County, GA 50.9 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Amador 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 Amador 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 Amador County, California?

    Amador County has a County Distress Index score of 50.9 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,517th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 35th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Amador County?

    The primary driver of distress in Amador County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 89.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Amador County compare to neighboring counties?

    Amador County (50.9) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Calaveras County, CA (58.0); San Joaquin County, CA (55.9); Sacramento County, CA (49.6).

  • 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 Amador County?

    Amador County, California has a population of approximately 41,811 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.