San Mateo County, California

County Distress Index: Healthy · 27.5 | 726,353 people · 58th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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San Mateo County, CA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 27.5 — 2968th 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 58th of 58 counties. It scores lower than all 4 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. San Mateo County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 89.3 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 89.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 85
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 87
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 88
Homeownership Rate 94
Rent-to-Income Ratio 93
Employment & Wages 29.1
Unemployment Rate 41
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 21
Business Formation Rate 25
Debt & Delinquency 11.6
Debt in Collections 3
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 17
Auto Loan Delinquency 16
Credit Card Delinquency 10
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 17
Community Vulnerability 4.9
Uninsured Rate 7
Disability Rate 3
Income & Poverty 2.8
Poverty Rate 5
Income vs. State Median 1
Child Poverty Rate 3

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

Neighbors and Peers

How San Mateo County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. San Mateo County
San Mateo County, CA 27.5 Healthy —
Santa Cruz County, CA 48.8 Normal +21.3
Alameda County, CA 38.7 Normal +11.2
San Francisco County, CA 29.2 Healthy +1.7
Santa Clara County, CA 27.7 Healthy +0.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. San Mateo County
Washington County, MN 27.5 Healthy -0.0
Benton County, AR 27.0 Healthy -0.5
Davis County, UT 28.1 Healthy +0.6
Montgomery County, PA 26.9 Healthy -0.7
DuPage County, IL 28.5 Healthy +1.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in San Mateo 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 Mateo 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 Mateo County, California?

    San Mateo County has a County Distress Index score of 27.5 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,968th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 58th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in San Mateo County?

    The primary driver of distress in San Mateo County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 89.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does San Mateo County compare to neighboring counties?

    San Mateo County (27.5) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Santa Cruz County, CA (48.8); Alameda County, CA (38.7); San Francisco County, CA (29.2).

  • 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 Mateo County?

    San Mateo County, California has a population of approximately 726,353 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.