In Santa Barbara County, California, benefit checks make up only 14 cents of every dollar of income
In Santa Barbara County, 13.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Santa Barbara County's score
In Santa Barbara County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 98.4. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 24.1. About one in seven people with a credit file (14.6%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Santa Barbara 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, Santa Barbara County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (39.4%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (30.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 98.4 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 rent30.0% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income39.4% · fiscal year 202799th percentile
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- 58.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202669th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.2% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 41.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability11.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance8.7% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$94,572 · 20247th percentile
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- 26.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.2% · second quarter of 202622nd percentile
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- 24.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.6% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89.5 · 202530th 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 Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara County, 16.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Santa Barbara County
California
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Santa Barbara County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 13.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Santa Barbara County, California, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Santa Barbara County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 10.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 10.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Santa Barbara County, California.
How Santa Barbara County has changed
Santa Barbara County's population had its largest rise, from 329,133 in 1984 to 365,695 in 1989.
Santa Barbara County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 444,500
High on the chart: 448,189 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Santa Barbara County, California.
The number of jobs located in Santa Barbara County rose most sharply after its 1995 low, from 156,901 in 1995 to 177,580 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Santa Barbara County rose 29% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 214,947 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Santa Barbara County, California.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,500 | 2024 $94,572 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Santa Barbara County's history
1998
A flash flood in February 1998 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A rip current in November 2002 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flash flood in March 2005 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A debris flow in January 2018 did $617 million in property damage and killed 21 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 448,229, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Santa Barbara County, 23 of them for flooding. FEMA
Santa Barbara County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Santa Barbara County, one scores higher. Of the group, Santa Barbara County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Kern County gets the largest, at 24.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County, CA | 88 | 18.6% | 24.0% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 49 | 15.7% | 13.9% |
| Ventura County, CA | 42 | 9.5% | 16.2% |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 35 | 12.6% | 18.2% |
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 Santa Barbara County the poorest county in California?
No, Santa Barbara County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 18th 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, Santa Barbara County ranks 35th of 58 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Santa Barbara 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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California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)
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 Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.