In Trinity County, California, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2019
In 2024, 43 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Trinity County's score
In Trinity County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 93.1. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (36.0%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 80.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Trinity 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.
Trinity County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (1.2%, August 2025) and people with a credit card behind (3.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202691st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working36.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 80.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.0% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line32.8% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability17.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,481 · 202490th percentile
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- 62.6 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 rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.4% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 23.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.2% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.0% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 21.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.8% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57.4 · 202513th 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 Trinity 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 Trinity County, 30.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Trinity County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Trinity County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across California
In Trinity County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 43.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Trinity County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.6% in 2020 to 8.6% in 2021.
The share of households in Trinity County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 11.1%
Low on the chart: 6.7% 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, Trinity County, California.
How Trinity County has changed
Trinity County's population had its largest rise, from 9,096 in 1974 to 11,600 in 1979.
Trinity County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15,642
High on the chart: 15,908 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Trinity County, California.
The number of jobs located in Trinity County had its largest drop, from 2,989 in 2005 to 2,614 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Trinity County fell 10% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 2,614 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Trinity County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.5% | 2025 5.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.3% | 2024 23.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,865 | 2024 $50,481 |
The table uses 5.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Trinity County's history
1850
Trinity County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Wikipedia
1999
A wildfire in October 1999 did $1.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A wildfire in August 2001 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Heavy rain in February 2017 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 16,112, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in October 2021 did $3.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Trinity County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Trinity County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Trinity County score higher than it does. Of the group, Trinity County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (43.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tehama County, CA | 85 | 18.2% | 33.0% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 71 | 17.3% | 38.3% |
| Shasta County, CA | 70 | 14.6% | 33.3% |
| Humboldt County, CA | 64 | 18.0% | 29.7% |
| Mendocino County, CA | 63 | 13.4% | 33.6% |
| 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 Trinity County the poorest county in California?
Yes, Trinity County's poverty rate was 23.0% in 2024, the highest of 58 counties in California (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Trinity County ranks 29th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Trinity 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 Trinity 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 Trinity County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.