In Los Angeles County, California, rent on a two-bedroom takes about two in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Los Angeles County, 39.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Los Angeles County's score
In Los Angeles County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 98.0. Jobs come next, at 72.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Los Angeles 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.
Los Angeles County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.3%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($90,757, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 98.0 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 rent29.4% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income39.2% · fiscal year 202799th percentile
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- 72.8 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 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.3% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 46.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.6% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people151.9 · 202560th percentile
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- 46.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.5% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 34.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.5% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability11.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$90,757 · 202410th 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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County, 15.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Los Angeles County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Los Angeles County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Los Angeles County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Los Angeles County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 14.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 13.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Los Angeles County, California.
How Los Angeles County has changed
Los Angeles County's population had its largest rise, from 8,041,685 in 1984 to 8,793,710 in 1989.
Los Angeles County's population rose 44% from 1969 to 2019, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 10,053,252 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Los Angeles County, California.
The number of jobs located in Los Angeles County had its largest drop, from 4,288,861 in 1990 to 3,766,088 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Los Angeles County fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 3,766,088 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Los Angeles County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.7% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,123 | 2024 $90,757 |
The table uses 5.7% 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 Los Angeles County's history
1983
A tornado in March 1983 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1987
A tornado in June 1987 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in February 1998 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A wildfire in September 2002 did $15.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 10,014,009, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Los Angeles County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Los Angeles County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Los Angeles County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Los Angeles County ranks 3rd of the five; Kern County is highest, at 24.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County, CA | 88 | 18.6% | 24.0% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 81 | 12.6% | 23.6% |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 66 | 13.3% | 20.4% |
| Ventura County, CA | 42 | 9.5% | 16.2% |
| Orange County, CA | 36 | 9.7% | 12.5% |
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 Los Angeles County the poorest county in California?
No, Los Angeles County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 29th 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, Los Angeles County ranks 21st of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Los Angeles 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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East LA Community Corporation (ELACC)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Faith and Community Empowerment Formerly Korean Churches for Community Development
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Haven Services Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA)
Legal aid
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Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA)
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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.