Kings County, California

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.8 | 152,682 people · 7th most distressed in California
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Kings County, CA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.8 — 220th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within California, it ranks 7th of 58 counties. It scores higher than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Kings County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 92.6 — worse than roughly 93% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 92.6
Unemployment Rate 99
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 83
Business Formation Rate 96
Housing Cost Burden 88.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 84
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 79
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 94
Homeownership Rate 97
Rent-to-Income Ratio 88
Income & Poverty 75.8
Poverty Rate 76
Income vs. State Median 90
Child Poverty Rate 62
Debt & Delinquency 57.2
Debt in Collections 54
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 83
Auto Loan Delinquency 61
Credit Card Delinquency 76
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 63
Community Vulnerability 35.0
Uninsured Rate 48
Disability Rate 21

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Kings County
Kings County, CA 69.8 Serious —
Kern County, CA 69.1 Serious -0.6
Tulare County, CA 68.9 Serious -0.8
Fresno County, CA 67.9 Serious -1.8
Monterey County, CA 60.4 Elevated -9.3
San Luis Obispo County, CA 49.2 Normal -20.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Kings County
Madera County, CA 69.8 Serious +0.0
Gila County, AZ 69.6 Serious -0.2
Citrus County, FL 69.5 Serious -0.3
Christian County, KY 70.0 Serious +0.3
Darlington County, SC 69.4 Serious -0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Kings County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Kings 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 Kings 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.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in California →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Kings County, California?

    Kings County has a County Distress Index score of 69.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 220th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 7th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Kings County?

    The primary driver of distress in Kings County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 92.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Kings County compare to neighboring counties?

    Kings County (69.8) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Kern County, CA (69.1); Tulare County, CA (68.9); Fresno County, CA (67.9).

  • 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 Kings County?

    Kings County, California has a population of approximately 152,682 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.