El Dorado County, California

County Distress Index: Normal · 39.1 | 192,215 people · 52nd most distressed in California
American Default Research

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El Dorado County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 39.1 — 2405th 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 52nd of 58 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. El Dorado County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 81.6 — worse than roughly 82% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 81.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 96
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 93
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 99
Homeownership Rate 39
Rent-to-Income Ratio 81
Employment & Wages 75.1
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 97
Business Formation Rate 50
Debt & Delinquency 18.4
Debt in Collections 8
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 20
Auto Loan Delinquency 7
Credit Card Delinquency 17
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 51
Community Vulnerability 14.3
Uninsured Rate 8
Disability Rate 20
Income & Poverty 5.9
Poverty Rate 4
Income vs. State Median 10
Child Poverty Rate 4

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How El Dorado County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. El Dorado County
El Dorado County, CA 39.1 Normal —
Amador County, CA 50.9 Elevated +11.9
Sacramento County, CA 49.6 Normal +10.5
Alpine County, CA 47.9 Normal +8.8
Douglas County, NV 42.0 Normal +3.0
Placer County, CA 35.5 Normal -3.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. El Dorado County
Franklin County, VT 39.1 Normal -0.0
Bonneville County, ID 39.1 Normal +0.0
Spotsylvania County, VA 39.2 Normal +0.1
Boone County, MO 38.9 Normal -0.1
Grafton County, NH 39.2 Normal +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for El Dorado County as a CSV file.

Find Help in El Dorado County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer 1-866-442-2529

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving El Dorado County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) 1-800-399-4529
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) 1-800-433-6251
Bay Area Legal Aid 1-800-551-5554
Legal Services of Northern California 1-800-822-9687
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) 1-800-337-0690
Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS) 1-888-245-4257
Legal Aid Society of San Diego 1-877-534-2524
Community Legal Aid SoCal 1-800-834-5001
California Indian Legal Services, Inc. (760) 746-8941
Central California Legal Services (800) 675-8001
Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. (661) 325-5943

Self-Help Resources

California Courts Self-Help — Foreclosure and Mortgage Help Official California courts self-help resource with information on foreclosure procedures, homeowner rights, tenant protections in foreclosure, and links to free legal help.
LawHelpCA — Foreclosure Prevention Statewide legal aid directory connecting Californians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention, including links to self-help guides and intake forms.
California Attorney General — Homeowner Bill of Rights Official AG page explaining HBOR protections, including fact sheets on dual-tracking prohibition, single point of contact, and how to file a complaint about servicer violations.
DFPI Mortgage Relief Resources DFPI consumer resources for housing and mortgage issues, including information on PACE financing, foreclosure scam alerts, and how to file complaints against licensees.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for El Dorado County, California?

    El Dorado County has a County Distress Index score of 39.1 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,405th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 52nd in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in El Dorado County?

    The primary driver of distress in El Dorado County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 81.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does El Dorado County compare to neighboring counties?

    El Dorado County (39.1) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Amador County, CA (50.9); Sacramento County, CA (49.6); Alpine County, CA (47.9).

  • 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 El Dorado County?

    El Dorado County, California has a population of approximately 192,215 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.