San Bernardino County, California
Above the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
San Bernardino County, California ranks 456th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 7% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
- 456th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Serious zone, 3rd in California.
- 7% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 78th percentile nationally.
- Rent burden (30%+) at 55% — national median 38%, ranked at the 99th percentile.
- Wage-to-rent ratio at 2.4× — national median 4.0×, ranked at the 1st percentile.
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 197 — national median 126, ranked at the 74th percentile.
Neighbors span four CDI zones. The 42-point drop to Inyo County marks where the Inland Empire distress corridor ends.
"The distress in San Bernardino County is the everyday kind: a household balance sheet bending under housing and health costs, not collapsing under job loss."
"Serious-zone counties are where the cost curve is accelerating faster than wages can keep up. The distress reads like a housing story first, a credit story second."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
San Bernardino County's medical debt in collections indicator is at the 7th percentile — while every other indicator in the Consumer Credit Distress domain is above the 56th. The gap stands out against the other credit indicators. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in San Bernardino County.
The Indicators Behind San Bernardino County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. San Bernardino County's value shown alongside CA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | San Bernardino | CA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Credit Distress — domain score 59 · Rank 1,240 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 25% | 18% | 23% | 58th | 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 | 6% | 4% | 5% | 67th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 5% | 5% | 78th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 8% | 6% | 8% | 54th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 30% | 20% | 23% | 75th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Housing Cost Burden — domain score 96 · Rank 16 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent burden (30%+) Share of renter households paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 49% | 38% | 99th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 29% | 25% | 18% | 96th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Owner housing burden Share of owner households paying 30%+ of income on housing | 34% | 31% | 24% | 97th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Homeownership rate Share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied | 62% | 63% | 74% | 9th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Structural Poverty — domain score 41 · Rank 1,958 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 6% | 4% | 71st | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 13% | 13% | 14% | 47th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Household income relative to state Median household income as share of state median | 1.04× | 1.00× | 1.00× | 60th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 17% | 16% | 18% | 48th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 12% | 13% | 16% | 15th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 24% | 24% | 27% | 34th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Legal Distress — domain score 74 · Rank 824 of 3,144 | |||||
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 197 | 119 | 126 | 74th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Economic Vitality — domain score 86 · Rank 44 of 3,144 | |||||
| Wage-to-rent ratio Ratio of average weekly wage to fair-market rent | 2.4× | 3.0× | 4.0× | 1st | BLS QCEW × HUD FMR (2024) |
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 31% | 27% | 21% | 97th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Business formation rate New business applications per 1,000 residents | 11.4 | 8.5 | 10.0 | 63rd | Census Business Formation Statistics (2024) |
| House price change (yoy) House price index year-over-year change | 1% | 1% | 4% | 21st | 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 San Bernardino County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 160-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.. — San Bernardino County ranks 456th 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 69 out of 100 places San Bernardino in the "Serious" zone, the highest-distress category on the index. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 455 rank worse. Within California, San Bernardino ranks third 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 consumer credit distress as the primary driver in San Bernardino. 7% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — above the national median of 5%.
"The distress in San Bernardino County is the everyday kind: a household balance sheet bending under housing and health costs, not collapsing under job loss." 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 San Bernardino County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives San Bernardino County's distress score?
How does San Bernardino County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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