In Shasta County, California, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Shasta County, 26.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Shasta County's score
In Shasta County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 83.9. Jobs come next, at 81.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Shasta 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.
Shasta County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (4.0%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (6.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.9 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 rent22.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.9% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 81.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 51.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.7% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability18.1% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,620 · 202439th percentile
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- 49.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people155.8 · 202561st percentile
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- 42.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.9% · second quarter of 202649th 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 Shasta 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 Shasta County, 21.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Shasta County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Shasta County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 33.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Shasta County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.3%; 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 Shasta County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 13.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 8.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Shasta County, California.
How Shasta County has changed
Shasta County's population had its largest rise, from 86,651 in 1974 to 112,199 in 1979.
Shasta County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 181,121
High on the chart: 182,308 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Shasta County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Shasta County rose by about a third to 71,664, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 71,664. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Shasta County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.6% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.5% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,335 | 2024 $70,620 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Shasta County's history
1850
Created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Wikipedia
1992
Fountain Fire in 1992 displaced over 7,000 people. Wikipedia
1996
Heavy rain in November 1996 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A wildfire in October 1999 did $22.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in October 2014 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 182,155, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A debris flow in February 2024 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Shasta County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Shasta County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Shasta County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Shasta County ranks 5th of the seven; Trinity County is highest, at 43.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tehama County, CA | 85 | 18.2% | 33.0% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 71 | 17.3% | 38.3% |
| Shasta County, CA | 70 | 14.6% | 33.3% |
| Modoc County, CA | 59 | 17.1% | 37.3% |
| Trinity County, CA | 59 | 23.0% | 43.0% |
| Lassen County, CA | 53 | 17.2% | 34.3% |
| Plumas County, CA | 53 | 13.0% | 30.9% |
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 Shasta County the poorest county in California?
No, Shasta County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 21st 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, Shasta County ranks 19th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Shasta 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 Shasta 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 Shasta County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.