About one in five people with a credit file in Sierra County, California, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Sierra County, 19.8% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 63% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sierra County's score
In Sierra County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 26.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 62.5 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sierra 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, Sierra County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.5%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (13.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,104 · 202443rd percentile
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- 47.1 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent0.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.5% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.3% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 26.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.8% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.5 · 202515th 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 Sierra 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 Sierra County, 35.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sierra County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sierra County had its largest rise, from 19.8% in 2004 to 26.5% in 2009.
In Sierra County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Sierra County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sierra County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.4% in 2017 to 13.1% in 2018.
The share of households in Sierra County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 9.8%
Low on the chart: 2.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sierra County, California.
How Sierra County has changed
Sierra County's population had its largest rise, from 2,470 in 1974 to 3,037 in 1979.
Sierra County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 3,480 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sierra County, California.
The number of jobs located in Sierra County had its largest drop, from 1,209 in 2000 to 746 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Sierra County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 1,209 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sierra County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.9% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.9% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,954 | 2024 $69,104 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Sierra County's history
1848
Gold rush brought over 16,000 miners to Sierra County between 1848-1860. Wikipedia
1852
Formed from parts of Yuba County in 1852. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 4,098. The 2020 Census counted 3,236, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
2005
A flood in December 2005 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A debris flow in January 2017 did $1.59 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in February 2017 did $6.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Lightning in July 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sierra County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sierra County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Sierra County, in California and Nevada, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sierra County ranks 4th of the six; Lassen County is highest, at 34.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuba County, CA | 75 | 13.5% | 33.0% |
| Lassen County, CA | 53 | 17.2% | 34.3% |
| Plumas County, CA | 53 | 13.0% | 30.9% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
| Sierra County, CA | 48 | 13.5% | 27.2% |
| Nevada County, CA | 39 | 9.6% | 21.4% |
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 Sierra County the poorest county in California?
No, Sierra County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 26th 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, Sierra County ranks 36th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sierra 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 Sierra 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 Sierra County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.