Monterey County, California
Below the national median for homeownership rate.
Main Findings
Monterey County, California ranks 1,398th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 52% of occupied housing is owner-occupied (bottom percentile nationally) — below the national median of 74%.
- 1,398th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Elevated zone, 27th in California.
- 52% of occupied housing is owner-occupied (bottom percentile nationally) (U.S. median 74%). Homeownership rate at the 99th percentile nationally.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 37% — national median 21%, ranked at the 99th percentile.
- Unemployment at 11% — national median 4%, ranked at the 99th percentile.
- Uninsured rate at 10% — national median 8%, ranked at the 64th percentile.
Neighbors span two CDI zones. The 26-point drop to Santa Cruz County marks where the Central Coast distress corridor ends.
"Monterey County is where distress lives in the margins. A county where most households are running out of runway, even as the headline numbers stay quiet."
"Elevated-zone counties are the largest block in the index. Most Americans live in counties scoring 55–70 — middle-class households doing the math every month."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Monterey County's disability rate indicator is at the 4th percentile — while every other indicator in the Structural Poverty domain sits at or above the 12th percentile. The gap stands out against unemployment. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Salinas.
The Indicators Behind Monterey County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Monterey County's value shown alongside CA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Monterey | CA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Credit Distress — domain score 30 · Rank 2,265 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 16% | 18% | 23% | 23rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Medical debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have medical debt in collections | 0% | 0% | 4% | 7th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 4% | 5% | 29th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 5% | 5% | 36th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 10% | 6% | 8% | 64th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 21% | 20% | 23% | 38th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Housing Cost Burden — domain score 95 · Rank 40 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent burden (30%+) Share of renter households paying 30%+ of income on rent | 54% | 49% | 38% | 99th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 25% | 25% | 18% | 89th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Owner housing burden Share of owner households paying 30%+ of income on housing | 32% | 31% | 24% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Homeownership rate Share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied | 52% | 63% | 74% | 99th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Structural Poverty — domain score 40 · Rank 2,013 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 11% | 6% | 4% | 99th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 13% | 14% | 54th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Household income relative to state Median household income as share of state median | 1.07× | 1.00× | 1.00× | 34th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 16% | 18% | 62nd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 9% | 13% | 16% | 4th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 17% | 24% | 27% | 12th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Legal Distress — domain score 46 · Rank 1,685 of 3,144 | |||||
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 119 | 119 | 126 | 46th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Economic Vitality — domain score 94 · Rank 1 of 3,144 | |||||
| Wage-to-rent ratio Ratio of average weekly wage to fair-market rent | 1.9× | 3.0× | 4.0× | 99th | BLS QCEW × HUD FMR (2024) |
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 37% | 27% | 21% | 99th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Business formation rate New business applications per 1,000 residents | 7.7 | 8.5 | 10.0 | 83rd | Census Business Formation Statistics (2024) |
| House price change (yoy) House price index year-over-year change | 1% | 1% | 4% | 78th | FHFA HPI (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is a PCA-weighted composite of five statistically derived factors. Weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance across 3,144 counties.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 represents the national county median; higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from 21 indicators grouped into five statistically derived factors via principal component analysis (PCA); factor weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance (shown in the Five-Domain Breakdown above).
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Monterey County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 150-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SALINAS, Calif. — Monterey County ranks 1,398th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 53 out of 100 places Monterey in the "Elevated" zone. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,397 counties rank more distressed. Within California, Monterey ranks 27th of 58 counties.
The index, which draws on 21 indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies housing cost burden as the primary driver in Monterey. 52% of occupied housing is owner-occupied (bottom percentile nationally) — below the national median of 74%.
"Monterey County is where distress lives in the margins. A county where most households are running out of runway, even as the headline numbers stay quiet," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Monterey County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Monterey County's distress score?
How does Monterey County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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