Unemployment in Kings County, California, is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Kings County, 9.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kings County's score
In Kings County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 87.5. Housing costs come next, at 80.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kings 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.
Kings County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.8%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($71,731, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year9.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202699th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 80.1 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 66.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.6% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 58.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.1% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people159.2 · 202562nd percentile
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- 42.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.3% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability12.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,731 · 202436th 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 Kings 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 Kings County, 10.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kings County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Kings County had its largest rise, from 16.1% in 2004 to 21.8% in 2009.
In Kings County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Kings County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kings County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.7% in 2022 to 18.6% in 2023.
The share of households in Kings County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 10.0% 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, Kings County, California.
How Kings County has changed
Kings County's population more than doubled to 154,913, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 143,601. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kings County, California.
The number of jobs located in Kings County had its largest rise in the last span, from 46,795 in 2020 to 52,040 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Kings County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 52,040, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 40,723. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kings County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.2% | 2025 9.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.5% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,883 | 2024 $71,731 |
The table uses 9.3% for 2025; the score uses 9.0% 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 Kings County's history
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 152,982. The 2020 Census counted 152,486, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kings County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kings County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Kings County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kings County ranks 3rd of the six; Tulare County is highest, at 27.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County, CA | 88 | 18.6% | 24.0% |
| Tulare County, CA | 85 | 19.9% | 27.9% |
| Fresno County, CA | 83 | 18.2% | 27.2% |
| Kings County, CA | 78 | 14.4% | 25.5% |
| Monterey County, CA | 59 | 13.7% | 17.1% |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 35 | 12.6% | 18.2% |
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 Kings County the poorest county in California?
No, Kings County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 22nd 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, Kings County ranks 13th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kings 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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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.
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 Kings County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.