In Mendocino County, California, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Mendocino County, 30.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mendocino County's score
In Mendocino County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 89.9. Unemployment averaged 5.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 90% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 84.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mendocino 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.
Mendocino County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (76.3, 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.5%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 84.1 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 rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.0% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 53.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.9% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,303 · 202448th percentile
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- 35.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 28.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.7% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.3 · 202522nd 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 Mendocino 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 Mendocino County, 24.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mendocino County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mendocino County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 38% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Mendocino County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.6%; 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 Mendocino County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 17.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 15.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mendocino County, California.
How Mendocino County has changed
Mendocino County's population had its largest rise, from 56,524 in 1974 to 65,018 in 1979.
Mendocino County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 89,175
High on the chart: 91,775 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mendocino County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Mendocino County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 33,462 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mendocino County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.6% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.9% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,307 | 2024 $67,303 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Mendocino County's history
1850
Mendocino County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Wikipedia
2017
Heavy rain in January 2017 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Heavy rain in January 2017 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Heavy rain in January 2017 did $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Heavy rain in February 2017 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 91,601, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mendocino County, 21 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mendocino County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Mendocino County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mendocino County ranks 3rd of the seven; Trinity County is highest, at 43.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CA | 93 | 19.7% | 37.4% |
| Tehama County, CA | 85 | 18.2% | 33.0% |
| Glenn County, CA | 74 | 15.5% | 28.4% |
| Humboldt County, CA | 64 | 18.0% | 29.7% |
| Mendocino County, CA | 63 | 13.4% | 33.6% |
| Trinity County, CA | 59 | 23.0% | 43.0% |
| Sonoma County, CA | 29 | 8.4% | 17.2% |
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 Mendocino County the poorest county in California?
No, Mendocino County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 28th 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, Mendocino County ranks 25th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mendocino 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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Legal Services of Northern California
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 Mendocino 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 Mendocino County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.