Madera County, California

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.8 | 162,858 people · 6th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Madera County, CA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.8 — 219th 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 6th of 58 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Madera County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 87.1 — worse than roughly 87% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 87.1
Unemployment Rate 98
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 78
Business Formation Rate 86
Housing Cost Burden 86.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 89
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 90
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 91
Homeownership Rate 83
Rent-to-Income Ratio 80
Income & Poverty 81.4
Poverty Rate 78
Income vs. State Median 89
Child Poverty Rate 78
Debt & Delinquency 51.2
Debt in Collections 46
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 83
Auto Loan Delinquency 49
Credit Card Delinquency 69
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 53
Community Vulnerability 42.7
Uninsured Rate 45
Disability Rate 41

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Madera County
Madera County, CA 69.8 Serious —
Merced County, CA 71.7 Serious +2.0
Fresno County, CA 67.9 Serious -1.8
Mariposa County, CA 65.3 Serious -4.5
Tuolumne County, CA 61.1 Elevated -8.6
Mono County, CA 41.4 Normal -28.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Madera County
Kings County, CA 69.8 Serious -0.0
Gila County, AZ 69.6 Serious -0.2
Christian County, KY 70.0 Serious +0.2
Citrus County, FL 69.5 Serious -0.3
Darlington County, SC 69.4 Serious -0.4

Download Data

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

Find Help in Madera 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 Madera 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Madera County has a County Distress Index score of 69.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 219th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 6th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Madera County?

    The primary driver of distress in Madera County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 87.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Madera County compare to neighboring counties?

    Madera County (69.8) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Merced County, CA (71.7); Fresno County, CA (67.9); Mariposa County, CA (65.3).

  • 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 Madera County?

    Madera County, California has a population of approximately 162,858 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.