California County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 58 counties in California, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 54.2. 8 counties score high, very high, or extreme.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
California Snapshot
58 Counties Scored
54.2 Mean Score
56.0 Median Score
75.1 Kern County Most Distressed
27.9 San Mateo County Least Distressed
8 high county distress13 moderate-high county distress14 moderate county distress13 moderate-low county distress7 low-moderate county distress3 low county distress
Score Label Distribution California County Map
Loading interactive map…
Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 58 California counties colored by county distress score range. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How California's 58 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All California Counties
58 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 298 | Kern County | 75.1 | high county distress | Labor |
| 2 | 302 | Imperial County | 75.0 | high county distress | Labor |
| 3 | 342 | Lake County | 74.0 | high county distress | Labor |
| 4 | 346 | Merced County | 73.9 | high county distress | Labor |
| 5 | 405 | Kings County | 72.3 | high county distress | Labor |
| 6 | 408 | Fresno County | 72.2 | high county distress | Labor |
| 7 | 464 | Tulare County | 70.7 | high county distress | Labor |
| 8 | 492 | Yuba County | 70.0 | high county distress | Labor |
| 9 | 507 | Madera County | 69.8 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 10 | 515 | San Bernardino County | 69.6 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 11 | 525 | Tehama County | 69.4 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 12 | 549 | Butte County | 69.0 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 13 | 558 | Stanislaus County | 68.9 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 14 | 746 | Riverside County | 65.1 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 15 | 756 | Del Norte County | 65.0 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 16 | 831 | Los Angeles County | 63.8 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 17 | 843 | Sutter County | 63.5 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 18 | 851 | San Joaquin County | 63.4 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 19 | 933 | Siskiyou County | 61.9 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 20 | 948 | Modoc County | 61.7 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 21 | 970 | Glenn County | 61.4 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 22 | 1,077 | Monterey County | 59.2 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 23 | 1,083 | Mariposa County | 59.1 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 24 | 1,091 | Shasta County | 59.0 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 25 | 1,110 | Tuolumne County | 58.8 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 26 | 1,162 | Calaveras County | 57.9 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 27 | 1,205 | Solano County | 57.0 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 28 | 1,215 | Sacramento County | 56.8 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 29 | 1,248 | Lassen County | 56.1 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 30 | 1,263 | Mendocino County | 55.9 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 31 | 1,316 | Humboldt County | 55.0 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 32 | 1,374 | San Benito County | 53.8 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 33 | 1,395 | Colusa County | 53.5 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 34 | 1,481 | Trinity County | 52.2 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 35 | 1,549 | Plumas County | 50.7 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 36 | 1,593 | Yolo County | 49.9 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 37 | 1,662 | San Diego County | 48.6 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 38 | 1,702 | Santa Cruz County | 48.0 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 39 | 1,716 | Amador County | 47.8 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 40 | 1,755 | Ventura County | 47.1 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 41 | 1,758 | Santa Barbara County | 47.1 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 42 | 1,842 | Alpine County | 45.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 43 | 1,875 | Sierra County | 45.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 44 | 1,902 | Nevada County | 44.5 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 45 | 1,961 | Contra Costa County | 43.5 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 46 | 2,055 | Orange County | 41.6 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 47 | 2,101 | San Luis Obispo County | 40.8 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 48 | 2,118 | El Dorado County | 40.5 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 49 | 2,225 | Napa County | 38.5 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 50 | 2,226 | Sonoma County | 38.5 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 51 | 2,233 | Alameda County | 38.3 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 52 | 2,347 | Inyo County | 35.9 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 53 | 2,358 | Placer County | 35.8 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 54 | 2,566 | Mono County | 31.4 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 55 | 2,620 | Marin County | 30.1 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 56 | 2,683 | San Francisco County | 28.3 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 57 | 2,693 | Santa Clara County | 28.1 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 58 | 2,710 | San Mateo County | 27.9 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
extreme county distress — 0 California counties
very high county distress — 0 California counties
high county distress — 8 California counties
moderate-high county distress — 13 California counties
moderate county distress — 14 California counties
moderate-low county distress — 13 California counties
low-moderate county distress — 7 California counties
low county distress — 3 California counties
very low county distress — 0 California counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 California counties