Shasta County, California

County Distress Index: Elevated · 62.4 | 180,366 people · 19th most distressed in California
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Shasta County, CA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 62.4 — 666th 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 19th of 58 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Shasta County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 85.4 — worse than roughly 85% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 85.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 86
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 81
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 90
Homeownership Rate 83
Rent-to-Income Ratio 87
Employment & Wages 80.0
Unemployment Rate 85
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 86
Business Formation Rate 69
Income & Poverty 55.0
Poverty Rate 47
Income vs. State Median 77
Child Poverty Rate 40
Community Vulnerability 53.5
Uninsured Rate 37
Disability Rate 70
Debt & Delinquency 37.9
Debt in Collections 37
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 44
Auto Loan Delinquency 33
Credit Card Delinquency 46
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 62

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Shasta County
Shasta County, CA 62.4 Elevated —
Tehama County, CA 70.5 Serious +8.1
Modoc County, CA 65.0 Elevated +2.6
Siskiyou County, CA 64.2 Elevated +1.8
Trinity County, CA 63.0 Elevated +0.6
Lassen County, CA 60.1 Elevated -2.2
Plumas County, CA 58.6 Elevated -3.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Shasta County
Richmond city, VA 62.4 Elevated +0.1
Roanoke city, VA 62.4 Elevated +0.1
Pitt County, NC 62.5 Elevated +0.1
Iberia Parish, LA 62.3 Elevated -0.1
Hawkins County, TN 62.2 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Shasta 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 Shasta 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.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in California →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Shasta County has a County Distress Index score of 62.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 666th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 19th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Shasta County?

    The primary driver of distress in Shasta County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 85.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Shasta County compare to neighboring counties?

    Shasta County (62.4) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Tehama County, CA (70.5); Modoc County, CA (65.0); Siskiyou County, CA (64.2).

  • 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 Shasta County?

    Shasta County, California has a population of approximately 180,366 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.