Unemployment in Siskiyou County, California, is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Siskiyou County, 7.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Siskiyou County's score
In Siskiyou County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 89.8. About three in ten renters (29.5%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 88.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Siskiyou 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.
Siskiyou County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (3.5%, August 2025) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (17.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.9 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 rent29.5% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.9% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 88.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202698th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.2% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 63.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.3% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.8% · 202478th percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,432 · 202469th percentile
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- 38.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.2% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 33.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.6% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people102.6 · 202537th 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 Siskiyou 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 Siskiyou County, 27.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Siskiyou County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Siskiyou County had its largest rise, from 26.1% in 2004 to 32.6% in 2009.
In Siskiyou County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 17% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Siskiyou County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.3%; 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 Siskiyou County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 15.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 10.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Siskiyou County, California.
How Siskiyou County has changed
Siskiyou County's population had its largest rise, from 34,568 in 1974 to 38,781 in 1979.
Siskiyou County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2019, reaching 44,307, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 44,788 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Siskiyou County, California.
The number of jobs located in Siskiyou County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 14,039 in 2005 to 13,110 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Siskiyou County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 14,866 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Siskiyou County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.2% | 2025 7.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.4% | 2024 17.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,077 | 2024 $60,432 |
The table uses 7.6% for 2025; the score uses 7.7% 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 Siskiyou County's history
1851
Gold discovered near Rocky Gulch in March 1851 by Abraham Thompson. Wikipedia
1852
Created on March 22, 1852, from parts of Shasta and Klamath counties. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 44,900. The 2020 Census counted 44,076, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Siskiyou County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Siskiyou County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Siskiyou County, in California and Oregon, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Siskiyou County ranks 3rd of the nine; Trinity County is highest, at 43.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klamath County, OR | 85 | 16.6% | 35.8% |
| Josephine County, OR | 78 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Del Norte County, CA | 78 | 19.9% | 41.1% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 71 | 17.3% | 38.3% |
| Shasta County, CA | 70 | 14.6% | 33.3% |
| Humboldt County, CA | 64 | 18.0% | 29.7% |
| Jackson County, OR | 62 | 12.6% | 27.7% |
| Modoc County, CA | 59 | 17.1% | 37.3% |
| Trinity County, CA | 59 | 23.0% | 43.0% |
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 Siskiyou County the poorest county in California?
No, Siskiyou County's poverty rate was 17.3% in 2024, 14th 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, Siskiyou County ranks 16th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Siskiyou 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 Siskiyou 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 Siskiyou County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.