About one in 10 people in San Benito County, California, has a disability
In San Benito County, 10.5% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives San Benito County's score
In San Benito County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 85.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.5. The typical household earns $109,002 a year (2024), more than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in San Benito County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, San Benito County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (33.1%, fiscal year 2027) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (6.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income33.1% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
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- 69.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.8% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
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- 43.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.6% · August 202524th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people154 · 202561st percentile
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- 24.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.9% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.3% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 13.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.7% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.2% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability10.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$109,002 · 20243rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in San Benito County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In San Benito County, 13.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
San Benito County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In San Benito County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 15.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In San Benito County, California, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in San Benito County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2012 to 9.8% in 2013.
The share of households in San Benito County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.5%
High on the chart: 10.8% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, San Benito County, California.
How San Benito County has changed
San Benito County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size, reaching 69,159, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 51,467. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, San Benito County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in San Benito County nearly doubled to 18,690, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 15,175. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, San Benito County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.2% | 2025 6.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.3% | 2024 8.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,569 | 2024 $109,002 |
The table uses 6.8% for 2025; the score uses 6.3% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in San Benito County's history
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 64,209, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A debris flow in January 2021 did $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flood in January 2021 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flood in January 2021 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
A flood in February 2026 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered San Benito County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
San Benito County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border San Benito County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, San Benito County ranks 4th of the six; Merced County is highest, at 28.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced County, CA | 86 | 18.4% | 28.5% |
| Fresno County, CA | 83 | 18.2% | 27.2% |
| Monterey County, CA | 59 | 13.7% | 17.1% |
| San Benito County, CA | 45 | 8.7% | 15.5% |
| Santa Cruz County, CA | 39 | 11.9% | 15.0% |
| Santa Clara County, CA | 12 | 7.1% | 7.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is San Benito County the poorest county in California?
No, San Benito County's poverty rate was 8.7% in 2024, 51st highest of 58 in California (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Trinity County, at 23.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, San Benito County ranks 38th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in San Benito County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for San Benito County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in San Benito County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.