San Joaquin County, California

County Distress Index: Elevated · 55.9 | 800,965 people · 32nd most distressed in California
American Default Research

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San Joaquin County, CA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 55.9 — 1152nd 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 32nd of 58 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. San Joaquin County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 87.7 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 87.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 92
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 83
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 97
Homeownership Rate 91
Rent-to-Income Ratio 76
Employment & Wages 74.3
Unemployment Rate 94
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 88
Business Formation Rate 41
Debt & Delinquency 50.7
Debt in Collections 45
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 69
Auto Loan Delinquency 55
Credit Card Delinquency 71
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 59
Income & Poverty 39.6
Poverty Rate 42
Income vs. State Median 36
Child Poverty Rate 41
Community Vulnerability 27.0
Uninsured Rate 34
Disability Rate 20

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

Neighbors and Peers

How San Joaquin County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. San Joaquin County
San Joaquin County, CA 55.9 Elevated —
Stanislaus County, CA 59.5 Elevated +3.7
Calaveras County, CA 58.0 Elevated +2.1
Amador County, CA 50.9 Elevated -4.9
Sacramento County, CA 49.6 Normal -6.3
Contra Costa County, CA 41.1 Normal -14.8
Alameda County, CA 38.7 Normal -17.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. San Joaquin County
Pinal County, AZ 55.9 Elevated +0.1
Galveston County, TX 55.8 Elevated -0.1
Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT 55.6 Elevated -0.2
Henry County, GA 56.2 Elevated +0.3
Santa Barbara County, CA 56.5 Elevated +0.6

Download Data

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

Find Help in San Joaquin County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near San Joaquin County.

VISIONARY HOME BUILDERS OF CALIFORNIA
Stockton
209-466-6811
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingPre-PurchaseHomebuyer Education

See all counselors in California →

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 Joaquin 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.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    San Joaquin County has a County Distress Index score of 55.9 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,152nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 32nd in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in San Joaquin County?

    The primary driver of distress in San Joaquin County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 87.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does San Joaquin County compare to neighboring counties?

    San Joaquin County (55.9) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Stanislaus County, CA (59.5); Calaveras County, CA (58.0); Amador County, CA (50.9).

  • 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 Joaquin County?

    San Joaquin County, California has a population of approximately 800,965 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.