In Contra Costa County, California, benefit checks make up only 12 cents of every dollar of income
In Contra Costa County, 12.4% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Contra Costa County's score
In Contra Costa County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 90.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 9.4. The typical household earns $126,787 a year (2024), more than in 98% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Contra Costa 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.
Even so, Contra Costa County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.8%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.5 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 rent26.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.6% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 58.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202670th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.0% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 28.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.5% · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people107.6 · 202539th percentile
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- 25.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.4% · second quarter of 202614th percentile
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- 9.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.5% · 202411th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.6% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance4.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$126,787 · 20241st 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 Contra Costa 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 Contra Costa County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Contra Costa County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Contra Costa County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 12.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Contra Costa County, California, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.4%; 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 Contra Costa County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 8.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 8.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Contra Costa County, California.
How Contra Costa County has changed
Contra Costa County's population had its largest rise, from 698,814 in 1984 to 784,395 in 1989.
Contra Costa County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,172,607, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 1,172,607. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Contra Costa County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Contra Costa County rose by about a quarter to 374,448, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 374,448 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Contra Costa County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.9% | 2024 8.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $41,955 | 2024 $126,787 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Contra Costa County's history
2005
A flood in December 2005 did $22 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in January 2006 did $22 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,165,927, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
Golden Eagle Refinery idled in 2020. Wikipedia
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Since 1969
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Contra Costa County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Contra Costa County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Contra Costa County, three score higher. Of the group, Contra Costa County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; San Joaquin County gets the largest, at 23.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Joaquin County, CA | 71 | 12.9% | 23.8% |
| Solano County, CA | 61 | 10.1% | 21.5% |
| Sacramento County, CA | 59 | 12.0% | 22.9% |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 37 | 8.5% | 12.4% |
| Alameda County, CA | 26 | 8.8% | 12.9% |
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 Contra Costa County the poorest county in California?
No, Contra Costa County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 52nd 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, Contra Costa County ranks 45th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Contra Costa 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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Balance
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Bay Area Legal Aid
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 Contra Costa 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 Contra Costa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.