Unemployment in Madera County, California, is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Madera County, 7.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madera County's score
In Madera County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.9. Housing costs come next, at 87.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madera 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.
Madera County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (14.2%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($71,161, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202698th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.3% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 87.7 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 rent28.0% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.6% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 58.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.1% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.7% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.0% · 202484th percentile
- People with a disability14.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,161 · 202437th percentile
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- 49.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.0% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people133.2 · 202552nd 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 Madera 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 Madera County, 14.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madera County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Madera County had its largest rise, from 18.7% in 2004 to 24.3% in 2009.
In Madera County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 24.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Madera County, California, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.6%; 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 Madera County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 21.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2010, reaching 11.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Madera County, California.
How Madera County has changed
Madera County's population had its largest rise, from 84,797 in 1989 to 107,396 in 1994.
Madera County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 165,432, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 155,469. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madera County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Madera County doubled to 58,077, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 58,077. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madera County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.5% | 2025 8.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.8% | 2024 17.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,150 | 2024 $71,161 |
The table uses 8.0% for 2025; the score uses 7.7% 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 Madera County's history
1893
Madera County was formed in 1893 from Fresno County; citizens voted 1,179 to 358 for separation. Wikipedia
2001
A wildfire in August 2001 did $4.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in April 2006 did $2.75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 156,255, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madera County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madera County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Madera County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madera County ranks 5th of the six; Tuolumne County is highest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County, CA | 86 | 18.4% | 28.5% |
| Fresno County, CA | 83 | 18.2% | 27.2% |
| Madera County, CA | 81 | 17.7% | 24.6% |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 63 | 12.7% | 31.6% |
| Mariposa County, CA | 58 | 15.1% | 28.4% |
| Mono County, CA | 11 | 9.8% | 12.7% |
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 Madera County the poorest county in California?
No, Madera County's poverty rate was 17.7% in 2024, 12th 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, Madera County ranks 10th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madera 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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California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)
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 Madera 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 Madera County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.