Amador County, California

County Distress Index: Normal · 41.5 | 41,811 people · 42nd most distressed in California
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Amador County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 41.5 — 2096th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Economic Vitality, where wages are low relative to housing costs, business formation lags, and the local economy lacks dynamism. Within California, it ranks 42nd of 58 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five statistically derived factors of household financial distress, PCA-weighted. Amador County's primary driver is Economic Vitality at 86.0 — worse than roughly 86% of U.S. counties.

Economic Vitality Primary driver 86.0
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 91
Rent-to-Income Ratio 81
Business Formation Rate 87
House Price Change (YoY) 73
Legal Distress 64.2
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 64
Structural Poverty 54.4
Unemployment Rate 91
Poverty Rate 35
Income vs. State Median 52
Child Poverty Rate 29
Disability Rate 56
Transfer Income Dependency 64
Housing Cost Burden 52.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 74
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 34
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 94
Homeownership Rate 18
Consumer Credit Distress 20.5
Debt in Collections 21
Medical Debt 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 29
Credit Card Delinquency 20
Uninsured Rate 28
Subprime Credit Population 19

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.

Neighbors and Peers

Neighboring Counties

CountyScoreZonevs. Amador County
Amador County, CA 41.5 Normal —
San Joaquin County, CA 60.6 Elevated +19.1
Sacramento County, CA 55.8 Elevated +14.3
Calaveras County, CA 50.1 Elevated +8.6
El Dorado County, CA 37.7 Normal -3.8
Alpine County, CA 32.6 Healthy -8.9

Population Peers

CountyScoreZonevs. Amador County
Talbot County, MD 41.5 Normal +0.0
Montrose County, CO 41.5 Normal -0.0
Jackson County, WI 41.5 Normal -0.0
White County, IL 41.5 Normal +0.0
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK 41.4 Normal -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Amador County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Amador County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer 1-866-442-2529

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Amador County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) 1-800-399-4529
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) 1-800-433-6251
Bay Area Legal Aid 1-800-551-5554
Legal Services of Northern California 1-800-822-9687
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) 1-800-337-0690
Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS) 1-888-245-4257
Legal Aid Society of San Diego 1-877-534-2524
Community Legal Aid SoCal 1-800-834-5001
California Indian Legal Services, Inc. (760) 746-8941
Central California Legal Services (800) 675-8001
Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. (661) 325-5943

Self-Help Resources

California Courts Self-Help — Foreclosure and Mortgage Help Official California courts self-help resource with information on foreclosure procedures, homeowner rights, tenant protections in foreclosure, and links to free legal help.
LawHelpCA — Foreclosure Prevention Statewide legal aid directory connecting Californians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention, including links to self-help guides and intake forms.
California Attorney General — Homeowner Bill of Rights Official AG page explaining HBOR protections, including fact sheets on dual-tracking prohibition, single point of contact, and how to file a complaint about servicer violations.
DFPI Mortgage Relief Resources DFPI consumer resources for housing and mortgage issues, including information on PACE financing, foreclosure scam alerts, and how to file complaints against licensees.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in California →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Amador County, California?

    Amador County has a County Distress Index score of 41.5 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,096th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 42nd in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Amador County?

    The primary driver of distress in Amador County is Economic Vitality, where the county scores 86.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Rent-to-Income Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Amador County compare to neighboring counties?

    Amador County (41.5) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: San Joaquin County, CA (60.6); Sacramento County, CA (55.8); Calaveras County, CA (50.1).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses PCA-weighted percentile scoring across five statistically derived factors: Consumer Credit Distress (47.5%), Housing Cost Burden (22.3%), Structural Poverty (13.6%), Economic Vitality (9.2%), and Legal Distress (7.4%). Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • How often is the CDI updated?

    Annually, aligned to Census American Community Survey and Urban Institute Debt in America release windows — the slowest-moving source inputs. Between annual refreshes, faster-cadence indicators (BLS unemployment, QCEW wages) may drive light mid-year updates if a specific component moves meaningfully. Current data compiled April 14, 2026; next full refresh early 2027.

  • What does the Normal zone mean?

    The CDI divides counties into five zones: Healthy (below 46), Normal (46–55), Elevated (55–71), Serious (71–86), and Crisis (86 and above). Amador County's score of 41.5 sits in the Normal zone (46–55).

  • What data sources power Amador County's CDI score?

    Amador County's CDI score draws on Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax credit-bureau panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS, QCEW), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Every number on this page traces to one of these public sources.

  • What is the population of Amador County?

    Amador County, California has a population of approximately 41,811 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.