Lake County, California

County Distress Index: Serious · 73.2 | 67,878 people · 1st most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Lake County, CA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 73.2 — 99th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within California, it ranks 1st of 58 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Lake County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 90.2 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 90.3
Unemployment Rate 98
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 91
Business Formation Rate 82
Housing Cost Burden 87.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 91
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 86
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 94
Homeownership Rate 67
Rent-to-Income Ratio 98
Income & Poverty 80.4
Poverty Rate 76
Income vs. State Median 97
Child Poverty Rate 68
Community Vulnerability 58.8
Uninsured Rate 34
Disability Rate 84
Debt & Delinquency 49.4
Debt in Collections 66
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 54
Auto Loan Delinquency 41
Credit Card Delinquency 86
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 42

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Lake County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Lake County
Lake County, CA 73.2 Serious —
Mendocino County, CA 67.2 Serious -6.0
Glenn County, CA 60.9 Elevated -12.3
Colusa County, CA 55.2 Elevated -18.0
Yolo County, CA 49.6 Normal -23.6
Napa County, CA 43.7 Normal -29.5
Sonoma County, CA 42.7 Normal -30.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Lake County
San Patricio County, TX 73.3 Serious +0.1
Russell County, AL 73.0 Serious -0.2
Anderson County, TX 73.4 Serious +0.2
Highlands County, FL 73.5 Serious +0.3
Putnam County, FL 73.5 Serious +0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Lake County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Lake County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer 1-866-442-2529

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Lake County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) 1-800-399-4529
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) 1-800-433-6251
Bay Area Legal Aid 1-800-551-5554
Legal Services of Northern California 1-800-822-9687
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) 1-800-337-0690
Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS) 1-888-245-4257
Legal Aid Society of San Diego 1-877-534-2524
Community Legal Aid SoCal 1-800-834-5001
California Indian Legal Services, Inc. (760) 746-8941
Central California Legal Services (800) 675-8001
Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. (661) 325-5943

Self-Help Resources

California Courts Self-Help — Foreclosure and Mortgage Help Official California courts self-help resource with information on foreclosure procedures, homeowner rights, tenant protections in foreclosure, and links to free legal help.
LawHelpCA — Foreclosure Prevention Statewide legal aid directory connecting Californians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention, including links to self-help guides and intake forms.
California Attorney General — Homeowner Bill of Rights Official AG page explaining HBOR protections, including fact sheets on dual-tracking prohibition, single point of contact, and how to file a complaint about servicer violations.
DFPI Mortgage Relief Resources DFPI consumer resources for housing and mortgage issues, including information on PACE financing, foreclosure scam alerts, and how to file complaints against licensees.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Lake County, California?

    Lake County has a County Distress Index score of 73.2 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 99th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 1st in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Lake County?

    The primary driver of distress in Lake County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 90.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Lake County compare to neighboring counties?

    Lake County (73.2) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Mendocino County, CA (67.2); Glenn County, CA (60.9); Colusa County, CA (55.2).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Lake County?

    Lake County, California has a population of approximately 67,878 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.