Modoc County, California

County in CA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

8,600

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

47.5

years ∙ half population younger than 47.5, half older

Diversity Index

41.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

8.8%

foreign-born population

91.2%Native

8.8% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Modoc County is a county in California, United States.

Location

County in CA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC41.592918° N, 120.718370° W

DMS41° 35′ 34.50″ N, 120° 43′ 06.13″ W

Population Density & area

2.18/sq mi (0.841/km²)

Total Area

4,203 sq mi (10,887 km²)

Land Area

3,948 sq mi (10,226 km²) · 93.9%

Water Area

255 sq mi (661 km²) · 6.1%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.1% male

Male 49.1%

Female 50.9%

males per 100 females

Modoc County 96.3

California 99.8

United States 98

Nativity

8.8%

foreign-born population

91.2%Native

8.8% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Modoc County 8.8%

California 27%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

47.5

years ∙ half population younger than 47.5, half older

Modoc County

47.5

California

37.9

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

102.9

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Modoc County 102.9

California 60.4

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Modoc County	California	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	19.1%	22%	22%
Working age (18-64)	49.2%	62.3%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	31.7%	15.7%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	102.9	60.4	64.4
Child dependency ratio	38.7	35.2	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	64.2	25.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

74.8%

Black

0.6%

Asian

2.1%

Hispanic

15.7%

Other

6.8%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

41.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Modoc County 41.3%

California 69.6%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Modoc County population

	Modoc County	California	United States
Hispanic or Latino	15.7%	40.2%	19.3%
Mexican	13%	32.3%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.6%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	2.7%	7%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	84.3%	59.8%	80.7%
One race	79.6%	55.4%	76.4%
White	74.8%	33.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.6%	5.2%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	1.8%	0.3%	0.5%
Asian	2.1%	15.3%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.3%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.4%	0.6%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	4.7%	4.4%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

61% family

Family 61%

Non family 39%

% family households

Modoc County 61%

California 67.8%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.46

persons per household

Modoc County

2.46

California

2.84

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Modoc County population

	Modoc County	California	United States
Total households	3,267	13,548,091	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.46	2.84	2.53
Family households	1,994	9,191,176	82,990,528
Average family size	3.18	3.41	3.14
Married couple family	1,616	6,557,184	60,637,388
Other families	378	2,633,992	22,353,140
Male householder	103	857,732	6,572,819
Female householder	275	1,776,260	15,780,321
Non-family households	1,273	4,356,915	46,236,968
One-person households	1,129	3,289,307	37,140,836
Male householder	536	1,493,062	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	274	460,668	5,225,110
Female householder	593	1,796,245	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	393	886,142	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	144	1,067,608	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

4,764

housing units

Modoc County 4,764

California 14,644,735

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

68.6% occupied

Occupied 68.6%

Vacant 31.4%

vacancy rate

Modoc County 31.4%

California 7.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

82%

Single family houses

82%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

5.5%

Mobile homes

12.6%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1975

Half of houses were built before 1975, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

17.5%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

19.8%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

49.7%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

13.1%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Modoc County	California	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.1	5	5.5
1–3 rooms	10.1%	21%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	64%	54.7%	51.6%
7+ rooms	25.8%	24.4%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2%	5%	2.9%
1 bedroom	6.3%	13.2%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	31.2%	26.9%	25%
3 bedrooms	47.2%	32.8%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	13.2%	22.1%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1975	1976	1981
Total housing units	4,764	14,644,735	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

77.4% owners

Renter-occupied 22.6%

Owner-occupied 77.4%

homeownership rate

Modoc County 77.4%

California 55.9%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.46

Owner-occupied

2.48

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Modoc County 2.46

California 2.95

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Modoc County	California	United States
Total occupied units	3,267	13,548,091	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	20.3%	23.4%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	30.9%	41.2%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	19.7%	17%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	29.1%	18.5%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	96.7%	91.8%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	3.1%	5%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.2%	3.2%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	4.7%	7.1%	8.4%
1 vehicle	30.2%	30.7%	33.1%
2 vehicles	36.7%	36.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	28.4%	25.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	15.2%	64.4%	51.4%
Electricity	25.5%	29.5%	41.3%
Solar	0%	1.2%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	16.7%	0.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	42.7%	1.6%	2%
No fuel used	0%	3%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.1%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.8%	1.2%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.8%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$224,700

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Modoc County

$224,700

California

$734,700

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

37.4%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

37.4%

Owners without a mortgage

9.2%

Renters

44.8%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Modoc County	California	United States
Property value
Median Value	$224,700	$734,700	$332,700
Under $100,000	12.1%	4.2%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	29.8%	2.7%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	26%	4.3%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	23%	17.1%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	8%	42.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.1%	29.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	41.5%	67.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	58.5%	32.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,551	$2,946	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$468	$829	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$836	$2,036	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

24.8%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Modoc County 24.8%

California 37.1%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

13.3%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Modoc County 13.3%

California 15.2%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,587

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

2.6%

K–12

79.4%

College / Undergraduate

15.9%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

29.5%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Modoc County

29.5%

California

46.8%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Modoc County	California	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	1,587	9,917,839	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	2.6%	5%	5.7%
K–12	79.4%	64.9%	67.6%
Kindergarten	4.8%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	22.9%	18.7%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	26.9%	19.9%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	24.8%	21.5%	21.7%
College or graduate school	18%	30.1%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	15.9%	24.3%	21%
Graduate, professional school	2%	5.8%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	29.5%	46.8%	40.9%
School type
Public school	77.3%	85%	82%
Private school	22.7%	15%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

6,415

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

9th-12th, no diploma

7.3%

HS graduate

28.3%

Some college no degree

26%

Associates degree

7.5%

Bachelors degree

17.9%

Graduate or professional degree

6.9%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

75.5% · 24.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

70.7% · 29.3%

HS graduate

52% · 48%

Some college no degree

46.7% · 53.3%

Associates degree

37.6% · 62.4%

Bachelors degree

51.1% · 48.9%

Graduate or professional degree

32.4% · 67.6%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Modoc County	California	United States
Population (25+)	6,415	27,073,960	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	6%	8.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	7.3%	6.5%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	28.3%	20.5%	26%
Some college, no degree	26%	19.3%	19.1%
Associate's degree	7.5%	7.9%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.8%	37.1%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	17.9%	22.7%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6.9%	14.4%	14.1%
High School or higher	86.7%	84.7%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$39,363

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$38,777

HS graduate

$37,034

Some college or associates

$31,789

Bachelors degree

$45,133

Graduate or professional degree

$87,780

Poverty Rate

2.5%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

37.7%

HS graduate

15.8%

Some college or associates

15.6%

Bachelors degree or higher

2.5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Modoc County	California	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$39,363	$56,395	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$38,777	$32,480	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$37,034	$41,382	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$31,789	$50,157	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$45,133	$80,933	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$87,780	$111,188	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	37.7%	20%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	15.8%	13.9%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	15.6%	10.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	2.5%	5%	4.5%

Insights for Modoc County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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