Unemployment in Colusa County, California, is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Colusa County, 13.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Colusa County's score
In Colusa County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.7. Housing costs come next, at 83.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Colusa 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.
Colusa County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (2.6%, August 2025) and people with a disability (12.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year13.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202699th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.8% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 83.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent27.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 40.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.3% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability12.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,149 · 202442nd percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.6% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.2% · second quarter of 202646th percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.2% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104.4 · 202538th 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 Colusa 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 Colusa County, 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Colusa County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Colusa County made its largest gain on the way to its 2014 high, from 15.8% in 2009 to 22.1% in 2014.
In Colusa County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Colusa County, California, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Colusa County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 14.3% in 2023 to 16.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Colusa County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 6.6% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Colusa County, California.
How Colusa County has changed
Colusa County's population had its largest rise, from 14,159 in 1984 to 16,004 in 1989.
Colusa County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22,074, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 21,276. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Colusa County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Colusa County rose 43% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 7,882. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Colusa County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 14.3% | 2025 13.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.9% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,690 | 2024 $69,149 |
The table uses 13.9% for 2025; the score uses 13.2% 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 Colusa County's history
1850
Created in 1850 at the time of California statehood as one of the original counties. Wikipedia
2017
A flood in February 2017 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 21,839, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in January 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flood in December 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Colusa County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Colusa County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Colusa County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Colusa County ranks 5th of the six; Lake County is highest, at 37.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CA | 93 | 19.7% | 37.4% |
| Butte County, CA | 81 | 18.7% | 29.7% |
| Glenn County, CA | 74 | 15.5% | 28.4% |
| Sutter County, CA | 69 | 12.6% | 25.6% |
| Colusa County, CA | 58 | 13.6% | 21.5% |
| Yolo County, CA | 46 | 17.4% | 17.3% |
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 Colusa County the poorest county in California?
No, Colusa County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 25th 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, Colusa County ranks 31st of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Colusa 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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California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)
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.
Download the CSV for Colusa County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Colusa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.