Modoc County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Modoc County, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in California
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D
Income Well below averageAmong the 5 least wealthy counties in California
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 79% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Modoc County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,600 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2.0 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.61% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.1 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,267 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Modoc County declined by 6.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8,600 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Modoc County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.5% of residents. That is 10.3 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,416 16.5% -5.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,484 17.3% -6.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,744 20.3% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,194 25.5% +10.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.4% of the people living in Modoc County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% California 49.9%
- Men 49.6% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Modoc County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Modoc County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Modoc County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,671 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.86% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.6% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Modoc County is about 40% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Modoc County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $434,285 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $835 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.4% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Modoc County is about 43.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $835 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Modoc County spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 110 hours, about 4.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Modoc County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.2 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 26.4 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 110 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,410 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.9% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 476 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 130 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Modoc County is 13 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Modoc County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Modoc County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.2% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Modoc County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Modoc County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.5% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.9% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Modoc County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Modoc County, CA is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 8,600 residents against a local median of 125,839. The measure that sets Modoc County, CA apart most is median home price: $434,285, 44% above the local median of $301,847.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 13.2 min against a local median of 16.2 min, 18% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Modoc County, CA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $228,718 on median home price, so Modoc County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Modoc County, CA has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modoc County, CA | 8,600 | $59,671 #4/5 | $434,285 #2/5 | 13.2 min #1/5 |
| Lassen County, CA | 30,356 | $67,791 | $225,766 | 16.0 min |
| Washoe County, NV | 497,175 | $88,504 | $454,484 | 20.4 min |
| Klamath County, OR | 70,242 | $58,700 | $304,477 | 15.3 min |
| Shasta County, CA | 181,436 | $72,982 | $299,218 | 16.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Modoc County, California.
How big is Modoc County, California by population?
About 8,600 people live in Modoc County, California, in 3,267 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 45.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Modoc County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Modoc County, California has 2 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 2% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Modoc County, California an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 7.3 times the median household income ($434,285 against $59,671), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $835 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Modoc County, California?
Unemployment in Modoc County, California is 7.6%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Modoc County, California?
22.2% of adults in Modoc County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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