Santa Barbara County, California

County Distress Index: Elevated · 56.5 | 441,257 people · 30th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Santa Barbara County, CA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.5 — 1109th 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 30th of 58 counties. Among its 3 neighboring counties, 2 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Santa Barbara County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 96.8 — worse than roughly 97% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 96.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 98
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 96
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 93
Homeownership Rate 97
Rent-to-Income Ratio 100
Employment & Wages 81.5
Unemployment Rate 80
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 100
Business Formation Rate 64
Income & Poverty 44.3
Poverty Rate 61
Income vs. State Median 27
Child Poverty Rate 45
Community Vulnerability 34.9
Uninsured Rate 60
Disability Rate 10
Debt & Delinquency 25.0
Debt in Collections 17
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 38
Auto Loan Delinquency 27
Credit Card Delinquency 30
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 31

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Santa Barbara County compares to its 3 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, CA 56.5 Elevated —
Kern County, CA 69.1 Serious +12.6
San Luis Obispo County, CA 49.2 Normal -7.3
Ventura County, CA 48.6 Normal -7.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Santa Barbara County
Winnebago County, IL 56.7 Elevated +0.2
Oklahoma County, OK 56.7 Elevated +0.2
Henry County, GA 56.2 Elevated -0.3
Pinal County, AZ 55.9 Elevated -0.6
San Joaquin County, CA 55.9 Elevated -0.6

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Santa Barbara County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara 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.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in California →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Santa Barbara County, California?

    Santa Barbara County has a County Distress Index score of 56.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,109th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 30th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Santa Barbara County?

    The primary driver of distress in Santa Barbara County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 96.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Santa Barbara County compare to neighboring counties?

    Santa Barbara County (56.5) can be compared to its 3 neighboring counties: Kern County, CA (69.1); San Luis Obispo County, CA (49.2); Ventura County, CA (48.6).

  • 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 Santa Barbara County?

    Santa Barbara County, California has a population of approximately 441,257 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.