Modoc County, California

County Distress Index: Elevated · 65.0 | 8,500 people · 15th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Modoc County, CA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 65.0 — 499th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within California, it ranks 15th of 58 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Modoc County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 89.5 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 89.5
Poverty Rate 86
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 87
Employment & Wages 83.2
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 60
Business Formation Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 69.1
Uninsured Rate 63
Disability Rate 75
Housing Cost Burden 57.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 70
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 74
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 27
Homeownership Rate 34
Rent-to-Income Ratio 83
Debt & Delinquency 25.6
Debt in Collections 53
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 43
Auto Loan Delinquency 6
Credit Card Delinquency 30
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 14

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Modoc County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Modoc County
Modoc County, CA 65.0 Elevated —
Klamath County, OR 70.4 Serious +5.4
Siskiyou County, CA 64.2 Elevated -0.8
Lake County, OR 63.0 Elevated -1.9
Shasta County, CA 62.4 Elevated -2.6
Lassen County, CA 60.1 Elevated -4.9
Washoe County, NV 51.2 Elevated -13.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Modoc County
Crowley County, CO 65.0 Serious +0.1
Jones County, NC 64.9 Elevated -0.1
Wilkes County, GA 64.8 Elevated -0.2
Elliott County, KY 65.2 Serious +0.3
Alexander County, IL 65.3 Serious +0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Modoc County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Modoc County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer 1-866-442-2529

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Modoc County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) 1-800-399-4529
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) 1-800-433-6251
Bay Area Legal Aid 1-800-551-5554
Legal Services of Northern California 1-800-822-9687
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) 1-800-337-0690
Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS) 1-888-245-4257
Legal Aid Society of San Diego 1-877-534-2524
Community Legal Aid SoCal 1-800-834-5001
California Indian Legal Services, Inc. (760) 746-8941
Central California Legal Services (800) 675-8001
Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. (661) 325-5943

Self-Help Resources

California Courts Self-Help — Foreclosure and Mortgage Help Official California courts self-help resource with information on foreclosure procedures, homeowner rights, tenant protections in foreclosure, and links to free legal help.
LawHelpCA — Foreclosure Prevention Statewide legal aid directory connecting Californians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention, including links to self-help guides and intake forms.
California Attorney General — Homeowner Bill of Rights Official AG page explaining HBOR protections, including fact sheets on dual-tracking prohibition, single point of contact, and how to file a complaint about servicer violations.
DFPI Mortgage Relief Resources DFPI consumer resources for housing and mortgage issues, including information on PACE financing, foreclosure scam alerts, and how to file complaints against licensees.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Modoc County, California?

    Modoc County has a County Distress Index score of 65.0 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 499th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 15th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Modoc County?

    The primary driver of distress in Modoc County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 89.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Modoc County compare to neighboring counties?

    Modoc County (65.0) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Klamath County, OR (70.4); Siskiyou County, CA (64.2); Lake County, OR (63.0).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Modoc County?

    Modoc County, California has a population of approximately 8,500 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.