Contra Costa County, California
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Contra Costa County. Population: 1,155,025 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Contra Costa County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 41.1 — 2280th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within California, it ranks 51st of 58 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Contra Costa County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverEmployment & Wages
Debt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
How Contra Costa County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contra Costa County, CA | 41.1 | Normal | — |
| San Joaquin County, CA | 55.9 | Elevated | +14.8 |
| Solano County, CA | 50.7 | Elevated | +9.5 |
| Sacramento County, CA | 49.6 | Normal | +8.5 |
| Sonoma County, CA | 42.7 | Normal | +1.6 |
| Alameda County, CA | 38.7 | Normal | -2.4 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake County, UT | 40.5 | Normal | -0.6 |
| Orange County, CA | 41.9 | Normal | +0.8 |
| Travis County, TX | 39.8 | Normal | -1.3 |
| New York County, NY | 39.3 | Normal | -1.8 |
| Denton County, TX | 43.5 | Normal | +2.3 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Contra Costa County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Contra Costa County, California?
Contra Costa County has a County Distress Index score of 41.1 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,280th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 51st in California out of 58 counties.
What drives financial distress in Contra Costa County?
The primary driver of distress in Contra Costa County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 90.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Contra Costa County compare to neighboring counties?
Contra Costa County (41.1) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: San Joaquin County, CA (55.9); Solano County, CA (50.7); Sacramento County, CA (49.6).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Contra Costa County?
Contra Costa County, California has a population of approximately 1,155,025 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.