About one in 12 people in Sonoma County, California, lives below the poverty line
In Sonoma County, 8.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sonoma County's score
In Sonoma County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 92.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 12.5. The typical household earns $105,956 a year (2024), more than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sonoma 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, Sonoma County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (31.9%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.2 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 rent24.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income31.9% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
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- 48.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
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- 20.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.8% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89.9 · 202531st percentile
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- 16.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.9% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.6% · second quarter of 202611th percentile
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- 12.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.4% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.6% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$105,956 · 20244th 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 Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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
Sonoma County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sonoma County had its largest rise, from 11.0% in 2004 to 15.4% in 2009.
In Sonoma County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 17.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Sonoma County, California, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.2%; 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 Sonoma County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 8.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 7.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sonoma County, California.
How Sonoma County has changed
Sonoma County's population had its largest rise, from 326,863 in 1984 to 380,633 in 1989.
Sonoma County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 485,375
High on the chart: 497,518 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sonoma County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sonoma County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 191,453. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sonoma County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 8.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,477 | 2024 $105,956 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Sonoma County's history
1812
Russian-American Company established Fort Ross on Sonoma Coast in 1812. Wikipedia
1850
Sonoma was one of the original counties when California became a state in 1850. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in December 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flood in December 2005 did $104 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in January 2006 did $104 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Heavy rain in May 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Tubbs Fire and Nuns Fire affected Sonoma County in October 2017. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 488,863, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1964
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sonoma County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sonoma County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Sonoma County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sonoma County ranks 4th of the six; Lake County is highest, at 37.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CA | 93 | 19.7% | 37.4% |
| Mendocino County, CA | 63 | 13.4% | 33.6% |
| Solano County, CA | 61 | 10.1% | 21.5% |
| Napa County, CA | 30 | 7.8% | 14.5% |
| Sonoma County, CA | 29 | 8.4% | 17.2% |
| Marin County, CA | 19 | 9.9% | 7.4% |
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 Sonoma County the poorest county in California?
No, Sonoma County's poverty rate was 8.4% in 2024, 53rd 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, Sonoma County ranks 51st of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sonoma 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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Balance - Santa Rosa
HUD-approved housing counselor
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California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)
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 Sonoma 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 Sonoma County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.