In Solano County, California, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Solano County, 29.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Solano County's score
In Solano County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 96.3. Jobs come next, at 70.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Solano 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.
Solano County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($94,968, 2024) and people without health insurance (4.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.3 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 rent29.4% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.6% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
-
- 70.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment 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 working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
-
- 50.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.6% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
-
- 50.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.5% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people160.9 · 202563rd percentile
-
- 19.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.1% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$94,968 · 20247th percentile
-
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 Solano 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 Solano County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Solano County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Solano County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Solano County, California, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.5%; 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 Solano County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 11.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 10.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Solano County, California.
How Solano County has changed
Solano County's population had its largest rise, from 264,416 in 1984 to 326,074 in 1989.
Solano County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 455,101, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 410,290. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Solano County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Solano County rose by about half to 144,004, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 117,281. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Solano County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.6% | 2024 10.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,576 | 2024 $94,968 |
The table uses 5.3% 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 Solano County's history
1850
Created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Wikipedia
2006
A flood in January 2006 did $15 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 453,491, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2026
Anheuser-Busch Budweiser brewery closed in 2026. Wikipedia
-
Since 1964
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Solano County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Solano County beside its neighbors
Solano County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Solano County ranks 2nd of the six; Sacramento County is highest, at 22.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solano County, CA | 61 | 10.1% | 21.5% |
| Sacramento County, CA | 59 | 12.0% | 22.9% |
| Yolo County, CA | 46 | 17.4% | 17.3% |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 37 | 8.5% | 12.4% |
| Napa County, CA | 30 | 7.8% | 14.5% |
| Sonoma County, CA | 29 | 8.4% | 17.2% |
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 Solano County the poorest county in California?
No, Solano County's poverty rate was 10.1% in 2024, 42nd 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, Solano County ranks 26th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Solano 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.
-
Legal Services of Northern California
Legal aid
-
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 Solano 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 Solano County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.