In Humboldt County, California, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Humboldt County, 31.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Humboldt County's score
In Humboldt County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 97.8. Jobs come next, at 81.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Humboldt 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.
Humboldt County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (3.0%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (4.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 97.8 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 rent30.3% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income31.6% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
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- 81.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.6% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 59.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.0% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability18.9% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,960 · 202473rd percentile
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- 30.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 25.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.5% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people73.9 · 202521st 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 Humboldt 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 Humboldt County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Humboldt County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Humboldt County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Humboldt County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Humboldt County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.3% in 2022 to 18.3% in 2023.
The share of households in Humboldt County getting SNAP food aid tripled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21.0%, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2017 to 2018, reaching 12.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Humboldt County, California.
How Humboldt County has changed
Humboldt County's population had its largest rise, from 110,275 in 1984 to 117,161 in 1989.
Humboldt County's population rose 39% from 1969 to 2019, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 136,936 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Humboldt County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Humboldt County rose 18% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 52,251. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Humboldt County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 18.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,408 | 2024 $58,960 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Humboldt County's history
1853
Humboldt County was formed in 1853 from a portion of neighboring Trinity County. Wikipedia
1998
A rip current in October 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A rip current in March 2000 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Heavy rain in January 2017 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in February 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 136,463, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Humboldt County, 21 of them for flooding. FEMA
Humboldt County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Humboldt County, two score higher. Of the group, Humboldt County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Trinity County gets the largest, at 43.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Del Norte County, CA | 78 | 19.9% | 41.1% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 71 | 17.3% | 38.3% |
| Humboldt County, CA | 64 | 18.0% | 29.7% |
| Mendocino County, CA | 63 | 13.4% | 33.6% |
| Trinity County, CA | 59 | 23.0% | 43.0% |
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 Humboldt County the poorest county in California?
No, Humboldt County's poverty rate was 18.0% in 2024, 11th 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, Humboldt County ranks 22nd of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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 Humboldt County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.