In Napa County, California, benefit checks make up only 15 cents of every dollar of income
In Napa County, 14.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Napa County's score
In Napa County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 93.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.0. The typical household earns $116,139 a year (2024), more than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Napa 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.
Even so, Napa County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (34.9%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.4 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 rent25.3% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income34.9% · fiscal year 202799th percentile
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- 45.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.6% · second quarter of 202618th percentile
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- 20.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.3% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.3 · 202532nd percentile
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- 13.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.3% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability12.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$116,139 · 20242nd 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 Napa 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 Napa County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Napa County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Napa County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 14.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Napa County, California, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Napa County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 3.5% in 2011 to 4.5% in 2012; 5.9% in 2023 to 6.9% in 2024.
The share of households in Napa County getting SNAP food aid grew to about four times its 2009 level, reaching 6.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 4.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Napa County, California.
How Napa County has changed
Napa County's population had its largest rise, from 76,688 in 1969 to 90,759 in 1974.
Napa County's population doubled from 1969 to 2019, reaching 139,087, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 140,979 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Napa County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Napa County nearly doubled to 79,072, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 60,552. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Napa County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.8% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,186 | 2024 $116,139 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Napa County's history
1850
Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Wikipedia
1996
A flood in February 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in January 2006 did $115 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 138,019, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Napa County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Napa County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Napa County, three score higher. Of the group, Napa County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Lake County gets the largest, at 37.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CA | 93 | 19.7% | 37.4% |
| Solano County, CA | 61 | 10.1% | 21.5% |
| Yolo County, CA | 46 | 17.4% | 17.3% |
| Napa County, CA | 30 | 7.8% | 14.5% |
| 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 Napa County the poorest county in California?
No, Napa County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 55th 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, Napa County ranks 49th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Napa 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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Bay Area Legal Aid
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.
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 Napa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.