In Sacramento County, California, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Sacramento County, 28.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sacramento County's score
In Sacramento County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 93.4. Jobs come next, at 66.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sacramento 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.
Sacramento County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($93,331, 2024) and people without health insurance (4.9%, 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 rent27.3% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.3% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 66.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 50.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.8% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people169.9 · 202566th percentile
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- 45.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.3% · second quarter of 202634th percentile
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- 26.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.0% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$93,331 · 20248th 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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento County, 15.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sacramento County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sacramento County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Sacramento County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sacramento County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 7.8% in 2010 to 9.0% in 2011; 9.9% in 2012 to 11.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Sacramento County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 14.2%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 9.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sacramento County, California.
How Sacramento County has changed
Sacramento County's population had its largest rise, from 1,206,659 in 1999 to 1,348,932 in 2004.
Sacramento County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,611,231, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 1,611,231. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sacramento County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sacramento County rose by about half to 733,061, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 733,061. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sacramento County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 12.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,024 | 2024 $93,331 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Sacramento County's history
1997
A flash flood in January 1997 did $2.4 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,585,055, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flash flood in January 2023 did $134 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flash flood in January 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flash flood in January 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sacramento County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sacramento County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Sacramento County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sacramento County ranks 4th of the nine; Amador County is highest, at 29.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Joaquin County, CA | 71 | 12.9% | 23.8% |
| Sutter County, CA | 69 | 12.6% | 25.6% |
| Solano County, CA | 61 | 10.1% | 21.5% |
| Sacramento County, CA | 59 | 12.0% | 22.9% |
| Yolo County, CA | 46 | 17.4% | 17.3% |
| Amador County, CA | 40 | 10.8% | 29.7% |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 37 | 8.5% | 12.4% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 31 | 7.9% | 16.8% |
| 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 Sacramento County the poorest county in California?
No, Sacramento County's poverty rate was 12.0% in 2024, 36th 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, Sacramento County ranks 28th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sacramento 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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NSC (NACA Counseling Subsidiary) - Sacramento, CA
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Sacramento Neighborhood Housing Services Inc Aka Formally Known AS Neighborworks Homeownership Center Sacramento Region
HUD-approved housing counselor
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The Greater Sacramento Urban League
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.