Unemployment in Del Norte County, California, is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Del Norte County, 6.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Del Norte County's score
In Del Norte County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 96.0. About three in ten renters (30.0%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 97% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 70.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Del Norte 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.
Del Norte County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (48.9, 2025) and people without health insurance (5.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.0 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 rent30.0% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.7% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 70.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.9% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.2% · 202482nd percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,773 · 202473rd percentile
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- 68.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202695th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 62.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.0% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 37.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.7% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people48.9 · 20259th 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 Del Norte 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 Del Norte County, 20.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Del Norte County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Del Norte County had its largest rise, from 16.9% in 1979 to 23.1% in 1984.
In Del Norte County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 41.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Del Norte County, California, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Del Norte County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 19.8% in 2023 to 22.8% in 2024.
The share of households in Del Norte County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 22.8%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 11.3% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Del Norte County, California.
How Del Norte County has changed
Del Norte County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27,009, with most of the change between 1989 and 1994
High on the chart: 28,599 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Del Norte County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Del Norte County rose by about a quarter to 8,382, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 7,270. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Del Norte County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.1% | 2025 6.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.0% | 2024 19.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,898 | 2024 $58,773 |
The table uses 6.4% for 2025; the score uses 6.3% 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 Del Norte County's history
1857
Del Norte County was established in 1857 from part of the territory of Klamath County. Wikipedia
1964
Crescent City destroyed by tsunami waves from Great Alaskan earthquake. Wikipedia
2001
A rip current in March 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 28,610. The 2020 Census counted 27,743, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
Crescent City harbor extensively damaged by 2011 Japan earthquake tsunami. Wikipedia
2017
Heavy rain in February 2017 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Del Norte County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Del Norte County beside its neighbors
Del Norte County scores higher than all four counties that border it, in California and Oregon. Of the group, Del Norte County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (41.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josephine County, OR | 78 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Del Norte County, CA | 78 | 19.9% | 41.1% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 71 | 17.3% | 38.3% |
| Curry County, OR | 66 | 16.4% | 38.9% |
| Humboldt County, CA | 64 | 18.0% | 29.7% |
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 Del Norte County the poorest county in California?
No, Del Norte County's poverty rate was 19.9% in 2024, 2nd 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, Del Norte County ranks 12th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Del Norte 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.
Download the CSV for Del Norte 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 Del Norte County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.