San Benito County, California

County Distress Index: Normal · 47.0 | 68,175 people · 44th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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San Benito County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 47.0 — 1825th 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 44th of 58 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. San Benito County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 88.0 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 88.0
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 100
Business Formation Rate 69
Housing Cost Burden 87.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 85
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 76
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 99
Homeownership Rate 79
Rent-to-Income Ratio 98
Debt & Delinquency 27.3
Debt in Collections 25
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 21
Auto Loan Delinquency 14
Credit Card Delinquency 37
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 61
Community Vulnerability 19.5
Uninsured Rate 32
Disability Rate 7
Income & Poverty 12.8
Poverty Rate 13
Income vs. State Median 11
Child Poverty Rate 14

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. San Benito County
San Benito County, CA 47.0 Normal —
Merced County, CA 71.7 Serious +24.7
Fresno County, CA 67.9 Serious +20.9
Monterey County, CA 60.4 Elevated +13.4
Santa Cruz County, CA 48.8 Normal +1.8
Santa Clara County, CA 27.7 Healthy -19.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. San Benito County
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT 47.0 Normal 0.0
Robertson County, TN 47.0 Normal -0.0
Lebanon County, PA 47.1 Normal +0.0
Benton County, OR 47.1 Normal +0.1
Lafayette County, MS 47.1 Normal +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for San Benito County as a CSV file.

Find Help in San Benito 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 San Benito 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for San Benito County, California?

    San Benito County has a County Distress Index score of 47.0 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,825th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 44th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in San Benito County?

    The primary driver of distress in San Benito County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 88.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does San Benito County compare to neighboring counties?

    San Benito County (47.0) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Merced County, CA (71.7); Fresno County, CA (67.9); Monterey County, CA (60.4).

  • 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 San Benito County?

    San Benito County, California has a population of approximately 68,175 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.