Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in California

Counties in California by job destruction rate

Sierra County had the highest job destruction rate of 58 counties in 2021, at 39.431%. Modoc County had the lowest, at 9.103%. The median was 16.974% and the figure for California was 18.31%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest39.431Sierra County
Lowest9.103Modoc County
Median16.97458 counties
California18.31History

Map of counties, 2021

Alameda County: 18.424 %Alpine County: 17.523 %Amador County: 19.643 %Butte County: 17.14 %Calaveras County: 15.832 %Colusa County: 9.469 %Contra Costa County: 18.407 %Del Norte County: 13.958 %El Dorado County: 18.124 %Fresno County: 14.217 %Glenn County: 13.01 %Humboldt County: 17.201 %Imperial County: 15.93 %Inyo County: 14.229 %Kern County: 16.834 %Kings County: 12.994 %Lake County: 14.076 %Lassen County: 15.547 %Los Angeles County: 19.541 %Madera County: 12.878 %Marin County: 19.777 %Mariposa County: 20 %Mendocino County: 18.422 %Merced County: 15.694 %Modoc County: 9.103 %Mono County: 18.638 %Monterey County: 19.39 %Napa County: 20.735 %Nevada County: 17.411 %Orange County: 18.173 %Placer County: 15.676 %Plumas County: 17.301 %Riverside County: 15.84 %Sacramento County: 17.327 %San Benito County: 13.499 %San Bernardino County: 14.435 %San Diego County: 18.362 %San Francisco County: 24.644 %San Joaquin County: 13.379 %San Luis Obispo County: 17.206 %San Mateo County: 19.09 %Santa Barbara County: 18.646 %Santa Clara County: 19.231 %Santa Cruz County: 20.383 %Shasta County: 13.601 %Sierra County: 39.431 %Siskiyou County: 13.706 %Solano County: 15.371 %Sonoma County: 18.565 %Stanislaus County: 15.594 %Sutter County: 14.836 %Tehama County: 10.36 %Trinity County: 21.862 %Tulare County: 13.858 %Tuolumne County: 15.845 %Ventura County: 17.113 %Yolo County: 15.411 %Yuba County: 15.023 %
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%, 2021. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Sierra County: 39.431 %Sierra County39.431San Francisco County: 24.644 %San Francisco County24.644Trinity County: 21.862 %Trinity County21.862Napa County: 20.735 %Napa County20.735Santa Cruz County: 20.383 %Santa Cruz County20.383Mariposa County: 20 %Mariposa County20Marin County: 19.777 %Marin County19.777Amador County: 19.643 %Amador County19.643Los Angeles County: 19.541 %Los Angeles County19.541Monterey County: 19.39 %Monterey County19.39Santa Clara County: 19.231 %Santa Clara County19.231San Mateo County: 19.09 %San Mateo County19.09Santa Barbara County: 18.646 %Santa Barbara County18.646Mono County: 18.638 %Mono County18.638Sonoma County: 18.565 %Sonoma County18.565Alameda County: 18.424 %Alameda County18.424Mendocino County: 18.422 %Mendocino County18.422Contra Costa County: 18.407 %Contra Costa County18.407San Diego County: 18.362 %San Diego County18.362Orange County: 18.173 %Orange County18.173El Dorado County: 18.124 %El Dorado County18.124Alpine County: 17.523 %Alpine County17.523Nevada County: 17.411 %Nevada County17.411Sacramento County: 17.327 %Sacramento County17.327Plumas County: 17.301 %Plumas County17.301San Luis Obispo County: 17.206 %San Luis Obispo County17.206Humboldt County: 17.201 %Humboldt County17.201Butte County: 17.14 %Butte County17.14Ventura County: 17.113 %Ventura County17.113Kern County: 16.834 %Kern County16.834Imperial County: 15.93 %Imperial County15.93Tuolumne County: 15.845 %Tuolumne County15.845Riverside County: 15.84 %Riverside County15.84Calaveras County: 15.832 %Calaveras County15.832Merced County: 15.694 %Merced County15.694Placer County: 15.676 %Placer County15.676Stanislaus County: 15.594 %Stanislaus County15.594Lassen County: 15.547 %Lassen County15.547Yolo County: 15.411 %Yolo County15.411Solano County: 15.371 %Solano County15.371Yuba County: 15.023 %Yuba County15.023Sutter County: 14.836 %Sutter County14.836San Bernardino County: 14.435 %San Bernardino County14.435Inyo County: 14.229 %Inyo County14.229Fresno County: 14.217 %Fresno County14.217Lake County: 14.076 %Lake County14.076Del Norte County: 13.958 %Del Norte County13.958Tulare County: 13.858 %Tulare County13.858Siskiyou County: 13.706 %Siskiyou County13.706Shasta County: 13.601 %Shasta County13.601San Benito County: 13.499 %San Benito County13.499San Joaquin County: 13.379 %San Joaquin County13.379Glenn County: 13.01 %Glenn County13.01Kings County: 12.994 %Kings County12.994Madera County: 12.878 %Madera County12.878Tehama County: 10.36 %Tehama County10.36Colusa County: 9.469 %Colusa County9.469Modoc County: 9.103 %Modoc County9.103Sierra County: 39.431 %Sierra County39.431San Francisco County: 24.644 %San Francisco County24.644Trinity County: 21.862 %Trinity County21.862Napa County: 20.735 %Napa County20.735Santa Cruz County: 20.383 %Santa Cruz County20.383Mariposa County: 20 %Mariposa County20Marin County: 19.777 %Marin County19.777Amador County: 19.643 %Amador County19.643Los Angeles County: 19.541 %Los Angeles County19.541Monterey County: 19.39 %Monterey County19.39Santa Clara County: 19.231 %Santa Clara County19.231San Mateo County: 19.09 %San Mateo County19.09Santa Barbara County: 18.646 %Santa Barbara County18.646Mono County: 18.638 %Mono County18.638Sonoma County: 18.565 %Sonoma County18.565Alameda County: 18.424 %Alameda County18.424Mendocino County: 18.422 %Mendocino County18.422Contra Costa County: 18.407 %Contra Costa County18.407San Diego County: 18.362 %San Diego County18.362Orange County: 18.173 %Orange County18.173El Dorado County: 18.124 %El Dorado County18.124Alpine County: 17.523 %Alpine County17.523Nevada County: 17.411 %Nevada County17.411Sacramento County: 17.327 %Sacramento County17.327Plumas County: 17.301 %Plumas County17.301San Luis Obispo County: 17.206 %San Luis Obispo County17.206Humboldt County: 17.201 %Humboldt County17.201Butte County: 17.14 %Butte County17.14Ventura County: 17.113 %Ventura County17.113Kern County: 16.834 %Kern County16.834Imperial County: 15.93 %Imperial County15.93Tuolumne County: 15.845 %Tuolumne County15.845Riverside County: 15.84 %Riverside County15.84Calaveras County: 15.832 %Calaveras County15.832Merced County: 15.694 %Merced County15.694Placer County: 15.676 %Placer County15.676Stanislaus County: 15.594 %Stanislaus County15.594Lassen County: 15.547 %Lassen County15.547Yolo County: 15.411 %Yolo County15.411Solano County: 15.371 %Solano County15.371Yuba County: 15.023 %Yuba County15.023Sutter County: 14.836 %Sutter County14.836San Bernardino County: 14.435 %San Bernardino County14.435Inyo County: 14.229 %Inyo County14.229Fresno County: 14.217 %Fresno County14.217Lake County: 14.076 %Lake County14.076Del Norte County: 13.958 %Del Norte County13.958Tulare County: 13.858 %Tulare County13.858Siskiyou County: 13.706 %Siskiyou County13.706Shasta County: 13.601 %Shasta County13.601San Benito County: 13.499 %San Benito County13.499San Joaquin County: 13.379 %San Joaquin County13.379Glenn County: 13.01 %Glenn County13.01Kings County: 12.994 %Kings County12.994Madera County: 12.878 %Madera County12.878Tehama County: 10.36 %Tehama County10.36Colusa County: 9.469 %Colusa County9.469Modoc County: 9.103 %Modoc County9.103
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Sierra County39.431+28.86 pts
2San Francisco County24.644+11.85 pts
3Trinity County21.862+12.14 pts
4Napa County20.735+10.38 pts
5Santa Cruz County20.383+6.31 pts
6Mariposa County20+7.93 pts
7Marin County19.777+7.72 pts
8Amador County19.643+8.65 pts
9Los Angeles County19.541+6.52 pts
10Monterey County19.39+6.93 pts
11Santa Clara County19.231+7.64 pts
12San Mateo County19.09+7.8 pts
13Santa Barbara County18.646+7.03 pts
14Mono County18.638+5.58 pts
15Sonoma County18.565+6.32 pts
16Alameda County18.424+5.89 pts
17Mendocino County18.422+4.62 pts
18Contra Costa County18.407+6.6 pts
19San Diego County18.362+5.87 pts
20Orange County18.173+5.91 pts
21El Dorado County18.124+3.67 pts
22Alpine County17.523-4.92 pts
23Nevada County17.411+0.83 pts
24Sacramento County17.327+5.58 pts
25Plumas County17.301+7.88 pts
26San Luis Obispo County17.206+6.08 pts
27Humboldt County17.201+6.17 pts
28Butte County17.14+7.04 pts
29Ventura County17.113+4.73 pts
30Kern County16.834+5.92 pts
31Imperial County15.93+3.33 pts
32Tuolumne County15.845+5.81 pts
33Riverside County15.84+2.14 pts
34Calaveras County15.832+2.76 pts
35Merced County15.694+3.31 pts
36Placer County15.676+4.11 pts
37Stanislaus County15.594+4.68 pts
38Lassen County15.547+5.26 pts
39Yolo County15.411+5.86 pts
40Solano County15.371+2.98 pts
41Yuba County15.023+3.96 pts
42Sutter County14.836+3.61 pts
43San Bernardino County14.435+3.01 pts
44Inyo County14.229-0.99 pts
45Fresno County14.217+3.29 pts
46Lake County14.076+0.28 pts
47Del Norte County13.958+5.93 pts
48Tulare County13.858+3.71 pts
49Siskiyou County13.706+0.35 pts
50Shasta County13.601+3.38 pts
51San Benito County13.499+0.7 pts
52San Joaquin County13.379+2.31 pts
53Glenn County13.01+4.33 pts
54Kings County12.994+4.8 pts
55Madera County12.878+4.21 pts
56Tehama County10.36+1.63 pts
57Colusa County9.469-2.02 pts
58Modoc County9.103-5.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in California by job destruction rate, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in California by job destruction rate, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/california-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in California by job destruction rate, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/california-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in California by job destruction rate, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/california-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_california_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in California by job destruction rate, 2021}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/california-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in California by job destruction rate, 2021
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/california-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/california-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job destruction rate?

Sierra County, with 39.431% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Modoc County, with 9.103% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings