About one in 13 people in El Dorado County, California, lives below the poverty line
In El Dorado County, 7.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives El Dorado County's score
In El Dorado County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 84.9. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 8.9. The typical household earns $107,289 a year (2024), more than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in El Dorado 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, El Dorado County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.5%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.9 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 rent25.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.6% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 61.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.0% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.9% · August 20257th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people128.5 · 202551st percentile
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- 11.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.3% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.0% · second quarter of 202610th percentile
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- 9.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.9% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.0% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$107,289 · 20243rd 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 El Dorado 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 El Dorado County, 23.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
El Dorado County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in El Dorado County had its largest rise, from 10.2% in 2004 to 13.9% in 2009.
In El Dorado County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 16.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In El Dorado County, California, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.8%; 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 El Dorado County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 6.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2013 to 2014, reaching 5.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, El Dorado County, California.
How El Dorado County has changed
El Dorado County's population had its largest rise, from 55,614 in 1974 to 80,658 in 1979.
El Dorado County's population rose 347% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 192,823. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, El Dorado County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in El Dorado County doubled to 59,203, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 43,240. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, El Dorado County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.1% | 2024 7.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,954 | 2024 $107,289 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 El Dorado County's history
1848
Gold discovered at Sutter's Mill in nearby Coloma sparked California Gold Rush. Wikipedia
1850
The County of El Dorado was one of California's original 27 counties created February 18, 1850. Wikipedia
1997
A flash flood in January 1997 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in January 1997 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A debris flow in February 2017 did $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 191,185, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A thunderstorm in June 2025 killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered El Dorado County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
El Dorado County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border El Dorado County, in California and Nevada, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, El Dorado County ranks 4th of the six; Amador County is highest, at 29.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento County, CA | 59 | 12.0% | 22.9% |
| Alpine County, CA | 41 | 15.8% | 28.9% |
| Amador County, CA | 40 | 10.8% | 29.7% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 31 | 7.9% | 16.8% |
| Placer County, CA | 25 | 6.8% | 15.1% |
| Douglas County, NV | 23 | 8.2% | 14.9% |
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 El Dorado County the poorest county in California?
No, El Dorado County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 54th 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, El Dorado County ranks 48th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in El Dorado 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 El Dorado 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 El Dorado County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.