Unemployment in Fresno County, California, is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Fresno County, 8.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fresno County's score
In Fresno County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 92.7. About three in ten renters (28.2%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 87.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fresno 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.
Fresno County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.3%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($74,244, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.7 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 rent28.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.2% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 87.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year8.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202698th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.7% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 52.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.1% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people139.8 · 202556th percentile
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- 51.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.2% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.5% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,244 · 202430th 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 Fresno 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 Fresno County, 12.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fresno County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Fresno County had its largest rise, from 19.2% in 2004 to 23.9% in 2009.
In Fresno County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Fresno County, California, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fresno County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 14.8% in 2011 to 18.2% in 2013, 1.7 points each year.
The share of households in Fresno County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 21.8%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 16.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fresno County, California.
How Fresno County has changed
Fresno County's population had its largest rise, from 650,755 in 1989 to 739,835 in 1994.
Fresno County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,024,125, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 1,024,125. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fresno County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Fresno County rose by about half to 428,665, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 428,665. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fresno County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.6% | 2025 8.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.4% | 2024 18.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,075 | 2024 $74,244 |
The table uses 8.5% for 2025; the score uses 8.2% 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 Fresno County's history
1994
A thunderstorm in May 1994 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A wildfire in August 2001 did $6.06 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,008,654, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
Lightning in July 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flood in May 2023 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fresno County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fresno County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Fresno County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fresno County ranks 3rd of the nine; Merced County is highest, at 28.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County, CA | 86 | 18.4% | 28.5% |
| Tulare County, CA | 85 | 19.9% | 27.9% |
| Fresno County, CA | 83 | 18.2% | 27.2% |
| Madera County, CA | 81 | 17.7% | 24.6% |
| Kings County, CA | 78 | 14.4% | 25.5% |
| Monterey County, CA | 59 | 13.7% | 17.1% |
| San Benito County, CA | 45 | 8.7% | 15.5% |
| Inyo County, CA | 29 | 11.2% | 26.1% |
| Mono County, CA | 11 | 9.8% | 12.7% |
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 Fresno County the poorest county in California?
No, Fresno County's poverty rate was 18.2% in 2024, 9th 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, Fresno County ranks 7th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fresno 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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Community Housing Council of Fresno
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Southwest Fresno Development Corp
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Central California Legal Services
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 Fresno 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 Fresno County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.