Orange County, California
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Orange County. Population: 3,135,755 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Orange County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 41.9 — 2222nd 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 49th of 58 counties. It scores lower than all 4 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Orange County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverEmployment & Wages
Debt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
How Orange County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, CA | 41.9 | Normal | — |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 60.8 | Elevated | +18.9 |
| Riverside County, CA | 56.0 | Elevated | +14.2 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 54.6 | Elevated | +12.7 |
| San Diego County, CA | 46.3 | Normal | +4.5 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contra Costa County, CA | 41.1 | Normal | -0.8 |
| Salt Lake County, UT | 40.5 | Normal | -1.3 |
| Denton County, TX | 43.5 | Normal | +1.6 |
| Travis County, TX | 39.8 | Normal | -2.1 |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 44.0 | Normal | +2.1 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Orange County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Orange County, California?
Orange County has a County Distress Index score of 41.9 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,222nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 49th in California out of 58 counties.
What drives financial distress in Orange County?
The primary driver of distress in Orange County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 96.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Orange County compare to neighboring counties?
Orange County (41.9) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: San Bernardino County, CA (60.8); Riverside County, CA (56.0); Los Angeles County, CA (54.6).
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 Orange County?
Orange County, California has a population of approximately 3,135,755 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.