Unemployment in Lassen County, California, is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Lassen County, 6.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lassen County's score
In Lassen County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 66.5. About one in five renters (21.6%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 70% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 55.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lassen 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.
Lassen County does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (9.4%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (6.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.6 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 rent21.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.0% · fiscal year 202762nd percentile
-
- 55.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.2% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.1% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,185 · 202445th percentile
-
- 49.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202696th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.4% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
-
- 46.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.0% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
-
- 45.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.8% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people103.9 · 202537th percentile
-
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 Lassen 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 Lassen County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lassen County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lassen County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 34.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Lassen County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lassen County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 11.0% in 2023 to 13.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Lassen County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2019, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 7.8% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lassen County, California.
How Lassen County has changed
Lassen County's population had its largest rise, from 28,544 in 1994 to 33,838 in 1999.
Lassen County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 35,160 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lassen County, California.
The number of jobs located in Lassen County rose most sharply from its first year (7,509 in 1990) to 9,590 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Lassen County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 10,491 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lassen County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.8% | 2025 6.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 17.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,252 | 2024 $68,185 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Lassen County's history
1864
Lassen County was formed on April 1, 1864 from parts of Plumas and Shasta counties. Wikipedia
2005
A flood in December 2005 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 34,895. The 2020 Census counted 32,730, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 1964
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lassen County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lassen County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lassen County, in California and Nevada, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lassen County ranks 2nd of the six; Modoc County is highest, at 37.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shasta County, CA | 70 | 14.6% | 33.3% |
| Modoc County, CA | 59 | 17.1% | 37.3% |
| Lassen County, CA | 53 | 17.2% | 34.3% |
| Plumas County, CA | 53 | 13.0% | 30.9% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
| Sierra County, CA | 48 | 13.5% | 27.2% |
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 Lassen County the poorest county in California?
No, Lassen County's poverty rate was 17.2% in 2024, 15th 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, Lassen County ranks 33rd of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lassen 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.
-
Legal Services of Northern California
Legal aid
-
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 Lassen 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 Lassen County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.