Del Norte County, California

County Distress Index: Serious · 67.3 | 26,589 people · 12th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Del Norte County, CA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 67.2 — 357th 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 12th of 58 counties. It scores higher than all 4 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Del Norte County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 91.5 — worse than roughly 92% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 91.5
Unemployment Rate 97
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 82
Business Formation Rate 96
Housing Cost Burden 77.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 90
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 97
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 67
Homeownership Rate 65
Rent-to-Income Ratio 70
Income & Poverty 66.4
Poverty Rate 52
Income vs. State Median 82
Child Poverty Rate 65
Community Vulnerability 55.7
Uninsured Rate 28
Disability Rate 83
Debt & Delinquency 44.9
Debt in Collections 67
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 64
Auto Loan Delinquency 53
Credit Card Delinquency 70
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 9

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Del Norte County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Del Norte County
Del Norte County, CA 67.3 Serious —
Josephine County, OR 64.5 Elevated -2.7
Humboldt County, CA 64.2 Elevated -3.0
Siskiyou County, CA 64.2 Elevated -3.1
Curry County, OR 62.4 Elevated -4.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Del Norte County
Carter County, KY 67.3 Serious 0.0
La Paz County, AZ 67.2 Serious -0.0
Wilbarger County, TX 67.3 Serious +0.0
Tallahatchie County, MS 67.3 Serious +0.1
Powell County, KY 67.2 Serious -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Del Norte County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Del Norte 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 Del Norte 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 Del Norte County, California?

    Del Norte County has a County Distress Index score of 67.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 357th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 12th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Del Norte County?

    The primary driver of distress in Del Norte County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 91.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Del Norte County compare to neighboring counties?

    Del Norte County (67.3) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Josephine County, OR (64.5); Humboldt County, CA (64.2); Siskiyou County, CA (64.2).

  • 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 Del Norte County?

    Del Norte County, California has a population of approximately 26,589 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.