Unemployment in Butte County, California, is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Butte County, 6.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Butte County's score
In Butte County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 95.7. About one in three renters (32.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 83.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Butte County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Butte County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.4%, 2020 to 2024) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (19.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent32.8% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.8% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 83.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.0% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 58.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.7% · 202482nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.7% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,143 · 202454th percentile
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- 54.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.4% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 50.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.9% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people158.8 · 202562nd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Butte County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Butte County, 18.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Butte County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Butte County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Butte County, California, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Butte County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 16.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 15.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Butte County, California.
How Butte County has changed
Butte County's population had its largest rise, from 117,295 in 1974 to 138,531 in 1979.
Butte County's population doubled from 1969 to 2019, reaching 216,181, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 222,355 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Butte County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Butte County rose by about a quarter to 78,544, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 71,867. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Butte County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.4% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.4% | 2024 18.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,122 | 2024 $65,143 |
The table uses 6.2% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Butte County's history
1850
Butte County was incorporated as one of California's 27 original counties on February 18, 1850. Wikipedia
1994
A tornado in February 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 220,000. The 2020 Census counted 211,632, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2017
A debris flow in January 2017 did $4.26 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in February 2017 did $549 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A thunderstorm in September 2019 did $4,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Butte County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Butte County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Butte County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Butte County ranks 4th of the seven; Tehama County is highest, at 33.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tehama County, CA | 85 | 18.2% | 33.0% |
| Butte County, CA | 81 | 18.7% | 29.7% |
| Yuba County, CA | 75 | 13.5% | 33.0% |
| Glenn County, CA | 74 | 15.5% | 28.4% |
| Sutter County, CA | 69 | 12.6% | 25.6% |
| Colusa County, CA | 58 | 13.6% | 21.5% |
| Plumas County, CA | 53 | 13.0% | 30.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Butte County the poorest county in California?
No, Butte County's poverty rate was 18.7% in 2024, 6th highest of 58 in California (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Trinity County, at 23.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Butte County ranks 11th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Butte County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Services of Northern California
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Butte County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.