Sierra County, California

County Distress Index: Elevated · 57.2 | 3,200 people · 29th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Sierra County, CA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 57.2 — 1073rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within California, it ranks 29th of 58 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Sierra County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 92.5 — worse than roughly 93% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 92.5
Unemployment Rate 89
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 93
Business Formation Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 71.0
Uninsured Rate 79
Disability Rate 63
Income & Poverty 54.2
Poverty Rate 42
Income vs. State Median 87
Child Poverty Rate 34
Housing Cost Burden 36.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 6
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 53
Homeownership Rate 27
Rent-to-Income Ratio 89
Debt & Delinquency 31.9
Debt in Collections 38
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 43
Auto Loan Delinquency 32
Credit Card Delinquency 56
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 16

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Sierra County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Sierra County
Sierra County, CA 57.2 Elevated —
Yuba County, CA 67.6 Serious +10.4
Lassen County, CA 60.1 Elevated +3.0
Plumas County, CA 58.6 Elevated +1.5
Washoe County, NV 51.2 Elevated -5.9
Nevada County, CA 44.8 Normal -12.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Sierra County
Dawes County, NE 57.1 Elevated -0.0
Covington city, VA 57.1 Elevated -0.1
Crittenden County, KY 57.3 Elevated +0.1
Niobrara County, WY 57.4 Elevated +0.2
Lincoln County, NV 57.5 Elevated +0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Sierra 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 Sierra 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Sierra County has a County Distress Index score of 57.2 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,073rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 29th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Sierra County?

    The primary driver of distress in Sierra County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 92.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Sierra County compare to neighboring counties?

    Sierra County (57.2) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Yuba County, CA (67.6); Lassen County, CA (60.1); Plumas County, CA (58.6).

  • 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 Sierra County?

    Sierra County, California has a population of approximately 3,200 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.