Riverside County, California
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Riverside County. Population: 2,492,442 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Riverside County, CA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.0 — 1140th 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 31st of 58 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Riverside 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 Riverside County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside County, CA | 56.0 | Elevated | — |
| Imperial County, CA | 70.9 | Serious Stress | +14.8 |
| La Paz County, AZ | 67.2 | Serious Stress | +11.2 |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 60.8 | Elevated | +4.8 |
| San Diego County, CA | 46.3 | Normal | -9.7 |
| Orange County, CA | 41.9 | Normal | -14.2 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pima County, AZ | 56.3 | Elevated | +0.2 |
| Tarrant County, TX | 56.6 | Elevated | +0.5 |
| Kings County, NY | 56.8 | Elevated | +0.7 |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | 57.5 | Elevated | +1.4 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 54.6 | Elevated | -1.5 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Riverside County as a CSV file.
Resources
Riverside County scores in the Elevated zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Riverside County, California?
Riverside County has a County Distress Index score of 56.0 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,140th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 31st in California out of 58 counties.
What drives financial distress in Riverside County?
The primary driver of distress in Riverside County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 91.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Riverside County compare to neighboring counties?
Riverside County (56.0) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Imperial County, CA (70.9); La Paz County, AZ (67.2); San Bernardino County, CA (60.8).
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 Riverside County?
Riverside County, California has a population of approximately 2,492,442 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.