Butte County, California

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.7 | 207,172 people · 4th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Butte County, CA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.7 — 179th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within California, it ranks 4th of 58 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Butte County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 95.8 — worse than roughly 96% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 95.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 98
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 98
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 93
Homeownership Rate 94
Rent-to-Income Ratio 97
Employment & Wages 88.7
Unemployment Rate 90
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 90
Business Formation Rate 86
Income & Poverty 81.0
Poverty Rate 85
Income vs. State Median 93
Child Poverty Rate 64
Debt & Delinquency 44.3
Debt in Collections 38
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 46
Auto Loan Delinquency 47
Credit Card Delinquency 65
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 63
Community Vulnerability 43.8
Uninsured Rate 34
Disability Rate 54

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Butte County
Butte County, CA 70.7 Serious —
Tehama County, CA 70.5 Serious -0.2
Yuba County, CA 67.6 Serious -3.1
Sutter County, CA 61.2 Elevated -9.5
Glenn County, CA 60.9 Elevated -9.8
Plumas County, CA 58.6 Elevated -12.1
Colusa County, CA 55.2 Elevated -15.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Butte County
Columbia County, FL 70.7 Serious +0.0
Caddo Parish, LA 70.7 Serious -0.0
Comanche County, OK 70.7 Serious +0.0
Portsmouth city, VA 70.7 Serious +0.0
Polk County, TX 70.8 Serious +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Butte 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 Butte 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.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Butte County has a County Distress Index score of 70.7 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 179th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 4th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Butte County?

    The primary driver of distress in Butte County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 95.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Butte County compare to neighboring counties?

    Butte County (70.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Tehama County, CA (70.5); Yuba County, CA (67.6); Sutter County, CA (61.2).

  • 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 Butte County?

    Butte County, California has a population of approximately 207,172 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.