Santa Barbara County, California
Above the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 3.5× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Steele County, ND — 12%).
Main Findings
Santa Barbara County, California ranks 1,758th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a rent-to-income ratio of 42% — above the national median of 21%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 1,758th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 47.1 · moderate-low county distress, 41st in California.
- A rent-to-income ratio of 42% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 100th percentile nationally. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Poverty rate at 15% — national median 14%, ranked at the 61st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Safety Net & Buffer domain score 37 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
- Delinquency domain score 28 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Neighbors span two CDI score labels. The 34-point drop to San Luis Obispo County marks where the California distress corridor ends.
Santa Barbara County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Santa Barbara County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Santa Barbara County's value shown alongside CA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Santa Barbara | CA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 28 · Rank 2,341 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 4% | 5% | 27th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 5% | 5% | 30th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 18% | 20% | 23% | 25th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 24 · Rank 2,621 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 15% | 18% | 23% | 17th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 90 | 119 | 126 | 31st | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 98 · Rank 16 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 42% | 27% | 21% | 100th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 28% | 25% | 18% | 96th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 49 · Rank 1,534 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 5% | 4% | 49th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 37 · Rank 2,128 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 17% | 16% | 18% | 45th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 13% | 16% | 10th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 15% | 13% | 14% | 61st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 6% | 8% | 60th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Santa Barbara County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 132-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Santa Barbara County ranks 1,758th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 47.1 out of 100 gives Santa Barbara a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,757 counties rank more distressed. Within California, Santa Barbara ranks 41st of 58 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Santa Barbara. A rent-to-income ratio of 42% — above the national median of 21%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Santa Barbara County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Santa Barbara County's distress score?
How does Santa Barbara County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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