About one in eight people with a credit file in Nevada County, California, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Nevada County, 12.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Nevada County's score
In Nevada County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 82.9. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 21.3. People with a credit card behind: 3.5%, August 2025, lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Nevada 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, Nevada County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (28.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.9 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 rent28.7% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.3% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 26.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.4% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people112.7 · 202542nd percentile
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- 22.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.6% · 202425th percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$98,873 · 20245th percentile
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- 21.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.8% · second quarter of 202619th 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 Nevada 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 Nevada County, 29.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Nevada County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Nevada County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 21.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Nevada County, California, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.4%; 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 Nevada County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 8.1%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 7.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Nevada County, California.
How Nevada County has changed
Nevada County's population had its largest rise, from 32,975 in 1974 to 48,351 in 1979.
Nevada County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 102,195, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 102,195. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Nevada County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Nevada County nearly doubled to 34,626, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 34,626. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Nevada County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.6% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,021 | 2024 $98,873 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Nevada County's history
1849
Gold discovered in Nevada County in 1849. Wikipedia
1956
Empire Mine closed in 1956 after extracting 5.8 million ounces of gold. Wikipedia
1988
49er Fire in 1988 burned well over 100 homes and more than 33,000 acres. Wikipedia
2005
A flood in December 2005 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Lightning in July 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A debris flow in January 2017 did $1.12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in February 2017 did $3.56 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 102,241, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Nevada County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Nevada County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Nevada County, in California and Nevada, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Nevada County ranks 3rd of the five; Yuba County is highest, at 33.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuba County, CA | 75 | 13.5% | 33.0% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
| Sierra County, CA | 48 | 13.5% | 27.2% |
| Nevada County, CA | 39 | 9.6% | 21.4% |
| Placer County, CA | 25 | 6.8% | 15.1% |
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 Nevada County the poorest county in California?
No, Nevada County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 48th 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, Nevada County ranks 43rd of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Nevada 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 Nevada 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 Nevada County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.