Lassen County, California

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.1 | 28,861 people · 25th most distressed in California
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Lassen County, CA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.1 — 821st 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 25th of 58 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Lassen County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 83.4 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 83.4
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 57
Business Formation Rate 98
Housing Cost Burden 61.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 48
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 60
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 86
Homeownership Rate 77
Rent-to-Income Ratio 36
Income & Poverty 60.4
Poverty Rate 73
Income vs. State Median 61
Child Poverty Rate 47
Community Vulnerability 53.2
Uninsured Rate 37
Disability Rate 69
Debt & Delinquency 42.2
Debt in Collections 52
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 73
Auto Loan Delinquency 40
Credit Card Delinquency 43
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 38

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Lassen County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Lassen County
Lassen County, CA 60.1 Elevated —
Modoc County, CA 65.0 Elevated +4.9
Shasta County, CA 62.4 Elevated +2.2
Plumas County, CA 58.6 Elevated -1.5
Sierra County, CA 57.2 Elevated -3.0
Washoe County, NV 51.2 Elevated -8.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Lassen County
Tate County, MS 60.1 Elevated +0.0
Franklin County, GA 60.1 Elevated -0.0
Prowers County, CO 60.2 Elevated +0.0
Chambers County, AL 60.1 Elevated -0.1
Churchill County, NV 60.2 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Lassen 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 Lassen 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.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in California →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Lassen County has a County Distress Index score of 60.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 821st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 25th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Lassen County?

    The primary driver of distress in Lassen County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 83.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Lassen County compare to neighboring counties?

    Lassen County (60.1) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Modoc County, CA (65.0); Shasta County, CA (62.4); Plumas County, CA (58.6).

  • 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 Lassen County?

    Lassen County, California has a population of approximately 28,861 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.