Unemployment in Tuolumne County, California, is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Tuolumne County, 5.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tuolumne County's score
In Tuolumne County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 84.4. About one in four renters (25.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 88% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 77.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Tuolumne 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.
Tuolumne County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($78,639, 2024) and people without health insurance (5.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.4 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 rent25.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 77.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.6% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
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- 50.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.3% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people179 · 202569th percentile
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- 43.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability21.2% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,639 · 202422nd percentile
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- 38.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · second quarter of 202641st 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 Tuolumne 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 Tuolumne County, 28.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tuolumne County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tuolumne County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Tuolumne County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.6%; 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 Tuolumne County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 11.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2015 to 2016, reaching 10.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tuolumne County, California.
How Tuolumne County has changed
Tuolumne County's population had its largest rise, from 38,058 in 1984 to 46,877 in 1989.
Tuolumne County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 53,893
High on the chart: 56,602 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tuolumne County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Tuolumne County rose by about a third to 18,392, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 18,170. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tuolumne County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,463 | 2024 $78,639 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% 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 Tuolumne County's history
1850
One of California's original 27 counties, Tuolumne was organized in 1850. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in November 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Lightning in July 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in March 2018 did $43 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 55,620, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in March 2023 did $42 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1964
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tuolumne County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tuolumne County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Tuolumne County, two score higher. Of the group, Tuolumne County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (31.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanislaus County, CA | 81 | 14.2% | 25.1% |
| Madera County, CA | 81 | 17.7% | 24.6% |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 63 | 12.7% | 31.6% |
| Calaveras County, CA | 63 | 11.5% | 29.1% |
| Mariposa County, CA | 58 | 15.1% | 28.4% |
| Alpine County, CA | 41 | 15.8% | 28.9% |
| Mono County, CA | 11 | 9.8% | 12.7% |
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 Tuolumne County the poorest county in California?
No, Tuolumne County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 32nd 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, Tuolumne County ranks 23rd of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tuolumne 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 Tuolumne 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 Tuolumne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.