In San Mateo County, California, benefit checks make up only 6 cents of every dollar of income
In San Mateo County, 6.1% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives San Mateo County's score
In San Mateo County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 87.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 3.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in San Mateo 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 Mateo County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.0%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.7 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 rent23.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.0% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 30.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202638th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 10.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.8% · August 20253rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people63.9 · 202516th percentile
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- 9.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.2% · second quarter of 20262nd percentile
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- 3.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.2% · 20244th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.3% · 20244th percentile
- People with a disability9.4% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance3.8% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$158,569 · 20240th 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 Mateo 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 Mateo County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
San Mateo County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in San Mateo County moved most in two steps: 5.2% in 1969 to 7.2% in 1974; 7.6% in 1994 to 5.6% in 1999.
In San Mateo County, pay from work still brings in more than ten times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In San Mateo County, California, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 6.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in San Mateo County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 3.9% in 2022 to 5.1% in 2024, 0.6 points each year.
The share of households in San Mateo County getting SNAP food aid more than tripled to 5.1%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 4.5%. 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 Mateo County, California.
How San Mateo County has changed
San Mateo County's population had its largest rise, from 713,617 in 2009 to 759,237 in 2014.
San Mateo County's population rose 39% from 1969 to 2019, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 768,257 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, San Mateo County, California.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in San Mateo County rose by about a third to 411,346, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 411,346 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, San Mateo County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.6% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.9% | 2024 7.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $43,417 | 2024 $158,569 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Mateo County's history
1997
A flash flood in February 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Heavy rain in January 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flood in December 2005 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in January 2006 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 764,442, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered San Mateo County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
San Mateo County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border San Mateo County, two score higher. Of the group, San Mateo County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Santa Cruz County gets the largest, at 15.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County, CA | 39 | 11.9% | 15.0% |
| San Francisco County, CA | 15 | 11.3% | 9.1% |
| San Mateo County, CA | 14 | 7.2% | 6.1% |
| 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 Mateo County the poorest county in California?
No, San Mateo County's poverty rate was 7.2% in 2024, 56th 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 Mateo County ranks 56th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in San Mateo 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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Bay Area Legal Aid
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 Mateo 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 Mateo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.