Unemployment in Mariposa County, California, is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Mariposa County, 6.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mariposa County's score
In Mariposa County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 86.9. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 26.1% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 87% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 66.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mariposa 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.
Mariposa County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (1.1%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (5.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.9 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 rent24.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.1% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 66.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 52.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.1% · 202465th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.6% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability17.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,424 · 202444th percentile
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- 36.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.1% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.9% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 35.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.4% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people106.4 · 202539th 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 Mariposa 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 Mariposa County, 29.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mariposa County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mariposa County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Mariposa County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mariposa County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 3.1% in 2009 to 5.5% in 2010; 11.0% in 2023 to 13.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Mariposa County getting SNAP food aid grew to about four times its 2009 level, reaching 13.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 13.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mariposa County, California.
How Mariposa County has changed
Mariposa County's population had its largest rise, from 7,877 in 1974 to 10,626 in 1979.
Mariposa County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17,048
High on the chart: 18,212 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mariposa County, California.
The number of jobs located in Mariposa County had its largest rise in the last span, from 5,003 in 2020 to 6,106 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Mariposa County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2000, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 4,815 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mariposa County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 15.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,238 | 2024 $68,424 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 6.1% 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 Mariposa County's history
1850
At the time of statehood in 1850, Mariposa County was one of the original 27 California counties and the largest by area, covering over 30,000 square miles. Wikipedia
1996
Heavy rain in December 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 18,251. The 2020 Census counted 17,131, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A thunderstorm in January 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in March 2018 did $2 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A debris flow in December 2022 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mariposa County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mariposa County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Mariposa County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mariposa County ranks 3rd of the five; Tuolumne County is highest, at 31.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County, CA | 86 | 18.4% | 28.5% |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 81 | 14.2% | 25.1% |
| Madera County, CA | 81 | 17.7% | 24.6% |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 63 | 12.7% | 31.6% |
| Mariposa County, CA | 58 | 15.1% | 28.4% |
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 Mariposa County the poorest county in California?
No, Mariposa County's poverty rate was 15.1% in 2024, 20th 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, Mariposa County ranks 32nd of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mariposa 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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Central California Legal Services
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 Mariposa 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 Mariposa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.