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California is a state of extremes, not only in geography but also in affluence among the counties. Urban and coastal areas enjoy incomes and have high house prices, whereas numerous rural and isolated counties are lagging miles behind. The most recent SmartAsset research project has indicated that the number of the counties with the lowest meanings in incomes and home value include Modoc, Trinity, Siskiyou and many more. These are counties that tend to be geographically isolated, there are poor job markets and there are also poor infrastructure investments. In the current article, we will provide you with the table including the 10 poorest counties in California (the latest data at that), after which the economic problems and implications will be analyzed. Also read, Poorest Cities in the US in 2025, Poorest Cities In California
Poorest Counties in California (2025)
| Rank | County | Median Income (USD) | Median Home Value (USD) |
| 1 | Modoc | 56,648 | 173,763 |
| 2 | Trinity | 53,498 | 308,921 |
| 3 | Siskiyou | 55,499 | 286,105 |
| 4 | Lassen | 64,395 | 224,424 |
| 5 | Imperial | 56,393 | 309,794 |
| 6 | Sierra | 60,000 | 315,832 |
| 7 | Lake | 58,738 | 328,199 |
| 8 | Tehama | 61,834 | 312,295 |
| 9 | Del Norte | 66,780 | 335,634 |
| 10 | Mariposa | 65,378 | 395,722 |
Table Description & Insights
- Income disparities: even the county that is the poorest in the top piles, Modoc, has a median income value of USD 56,648, and even the 10th county (Mariposa) is only a little higher at USD 65,378. This is way below the median household income in California.
- Home values differences: The home values in these low-income counties are much less than the home values of the urban or coastal counties. As an example, an argument can be that the median home values in the Modoc area are USD 173,763, which is much lower than the USD 1.5 million in the affluent areas of the state of California.
- Geographic and economic issues: Most of these counties are remote, rural or mountainous, and do not have much accessibility to major cities. Most economic foundations there are typically based on agriculture, extraction of resources or local services at the smaller scale as opposed to high wage industry foundations.
- Relative rankings: Trinity (the second poorest according to this data) can where it comes first in associated reports (e.g. SmartAsset older reports) depending on the method.
