Nevada County, California

County Distress Index: Normal · 44.8 | 102,037 people · 46th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Nevada County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 44.8 — 2010th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within California, it ranks 46th of 58 counties. Among its 4 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Nevada County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 83.0 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 83.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 97
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 98
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 90
Homeownership Rate 50
Rent-to-Income Ratio 80
Employment & Wages 65.7
Unemployment Rate 76
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 91
Business Formation Rate 30
Income & Poverty 28.1
Poverty Rate 28
Income vs. State Median 33
Child Poverty Rate 23
Community Vulnerability 25.6
Uninsured Rate 20
Disability Rate 31
Debt & Delinquency 21.5
Debt in Collections 10
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 25
Auto Loan Delinquency 27
Credit Card Delinquency 18
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 42

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Nevada County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Nevada County
Nevada County, CA 44.8 Normal —
Yuba County, CA 67.6 Serious +22.8
Sierra County, CA 57.2 Elevated +12.4
Washoe County, NV 51.2 Elevated +6.5
Placer County, CA 35.5 Normal -9.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Nevada County
Wayne County, NY 44.7 Normal -0.0
Marquette County, MI 44.8 Normal +0.0
Douglas County, KS 44.9 Normal +0.1
Rutland County, VT 44.9 Normal +0.1
Parker County, TX 44.9 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Nevada 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 Nevada 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 Nevada County, California?

    Nevada County has a County Distress Index score of 44.8 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,010th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 46th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Nevada County?

    The primary driver of distress in Nevada County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 83.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Nevada County compare to neighboring counties?

    Nevada County (44.8) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Yuba County, CA (67.6); Sierra County, CA (57.2); Washoe County, NV (51.2).

  • 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 Nevada County?

    Nevada County, California has a population of approximately 102,037 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.