In Ventura County, California, benefit checks make up only 16 cents of every dollar of income
In Ventura County, 16.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ventura County's score
In Ventura County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 90.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.5. The typical household earns $112,872 a year (2024), more than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ventura 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, Ventura County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.8%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.8%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.0 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 rent27.8% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.8% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 57.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.6% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
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- 35.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.2% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people139.3 · 202555th percentile
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- 23.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.4% · second quarter of 202617th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.2% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$112,872 · 20242nd 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 Ventura 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 Ventura 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
Ventura County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ventura County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Ventura County, California, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ventura County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 4.1% in 2010 to 5.7% in 2012, 0.8 points each year.
The share of households in Ventura County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 8.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 4.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ventura County, California.
How Ventura County has changed
Ventura County's population had its largest rise, from 433,885 in 1974 to 512,189 in 1979.
Ventura County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 835,427
High on the chart: 845,277 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ventura County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Ventura County rose 36% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 287,819. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ventura County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.5% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $39,555 | 2024 $112,872 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Ventura County's history
1873
Ventura County was officially split from Santa Barbara County on January 1, 1873. Wikipedia
1997
A wildfire in August 1997 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A rip current in January 1999 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in January 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 843,843, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
36 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ventura County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ventura County beside its neighbors
All three counties that border Ventura County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ventura County ranks 3rd of the four; Kern County is highest, at 24.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County, CA | 88 | 18.6% | 24.0% |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 66 | 13.3% | 20.4% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 49 | 15.7% | 13.9% |
| Ventura County, CA | 42 | 9.5% | 16.2% |
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 Ventura County the poorest county in California?
No, Ventura County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 49th 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, Ventura County ranks 40th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ventura 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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Centro Familia Esperanza
HUD-approved housing counselor
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MY Way Home
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 Ventura 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 Ventura County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.