Mariposa County, California

County Distress Index: Serious · 65.3 | 16,919 people · 14th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Mariposa County, CA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 65.3 — 482nd 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 14th of 58 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 4 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Mariposa County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 89.8 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 89.8
Unemployment Rate 93
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 89
Business Formation Rate 88
Income & Poverty 78.5
Poverty Rate 75
Income vs. State Median 92
Child Poverty Rate 69
Housing Cost Burden 74.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 71
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 74
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 88
Homeownership Rate 49
Rent-to-Income Ratio 89
Community Vulnerability 53.0
Uninsured Rate 35
Disability Rate 71
Debt & Delinquency 31.2
Debt in Collections 32
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 43
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 61
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 39

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Mariposa County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Mariposa County
Mariposa County, CA 65.3 Serious —
Merced County, CA 71.7 Serious +6.4
Madera County, CA 69.8 Serious +4.5
Tuolumne County, CA 61.1 Elevated -4.2
Stanislaus County, CA 59.5 Elevated -5.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Mariposa County
Winston County, MS 65.2 Serious -0.1
Berrien County, GA 65.4 Serious +0.1
Izard County, AR 65.2 Serious -0.1
Franklin Parish, LA 65.2 Serious -0.2
Crawford County, KS 65.2 Serious -0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Mariposa 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 Mariposa 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 Mariposa County, California?

    Mariposa County has a County Distress Index score of 65.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 482nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 14th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Mariposa County?

    The primary driver of distress in Mariposa County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 89.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Mariposa County compare to neighboring counties?

    Mariposa County (65.3) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Merced County, CA (71.7); Madera County, CA (69.8); Tuolumne County, CA (61.1).

  • 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 Mariposa County?

    Mariposa County, California has a population of approximately 16,919 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.