Unemployment in Tulare County, California, is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Tulare County, 10.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tulare County's score
In Tulare County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.1. Housing costs come next, at 84.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tulare 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.
Tulare County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.5%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($68,907, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year10.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202699th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 84.5 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 rent24.4% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 69.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.3% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 57.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.9% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.5% · 202487th percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,907 · 202443rd percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.7% · August 202551st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people126.8 · 202550th 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 Tulare 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 Tulare County, 11.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tulare County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tulare County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Tulare County, California, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Tulare County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 13.5% in 2009 to 15.7% in 2010; 19.2% in 2012 to 21.4% in 2013.
The share of households in Tulare County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 24.1%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2010, reaching 15.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tulare County, California.
How Tulare County has changed
Tulare County's population had its largest rise, from 304,451 in 1989 to 345,668 in 1994.
Tulare County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 483,546, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 470,229. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tulare County, California.
The number of jobs located in Tulare County had its largest rise in the last span, from 157,273 in 2020 to 174,610 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Tulare County rose by more than half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 174,610, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 157,273. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tulare County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.3% | 2025 10.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.2% | 2024 19.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,571 | 2024 $68,907 |
The table uses 10.8% for 2025; the score uses 10.5% 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 Tulare County's history
1852
Tulare County was incorporated on July 10, 1852, from parts of Mariposa County. Wikipedia
1998
A flood in January 1998 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A wildfire in July 2002 did $14.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A wildfire in August 2002 did $45.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Lightning in July 2005 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 473,117, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tulare County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tulare County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Tulare County, one scores higher. Of the group, Tulare County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (27.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County, CA | 88 | 18.6% | 24.0% |
| Tulare County, CA | 85 | 19.9% | 27.9% |
| Fresno County, CA | 83 | 18.2% | 27.2% |
| Kings County, CA | 78 | 14.4% | 25.5% |
| Inyo County, CA | 29 | 11.2% | 26.1% |
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 Tulare County the poorest county in California?
No, Tulare County's poverty rate was 19.9% in 2024, 2nd 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, Tulare County ranks 6th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tulare 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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Central California Legal Services
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 Tulare 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 Tulare County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.