Santa Cruz County, California

County Distress Index: Normal · 48.8 | 261,547 people · 41st most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Santa Cruz County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 48.8 — 1685th 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 41st of 58 counties. Among its 4 neighboring counties, 3 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Santa Cruz County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 94.2 — worse than roughly 94% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 94.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 89
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 94
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 95
Homeownership Rate 93
Rent-to-Income Ratio 100
Employment & Wages 88.4
Unemployment Rate 94
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 100
Business Formation Rate 71
Income & Poverty 28.3
Poverty Rate 42
Income vs. State Median 13
Child Poverty Rate 30
Debt & Delinquency 17.3
Debt in Collections 6
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 22
Auto Loan Delinquency 23
Credit Card Delinquency 14
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 32
Community Vulnerability 15.9
Uninsured Rate 21
Disability Rate 11

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Santa Cruz County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, CA 48.8 Normal —
Monterey County, CA 60.4 Elevated +11.6
San Benito County, CA 47.0 Normal -1.8
Santa Clara County, CA 27.7 Healthy -21.1
San Mateo County, CA 27.5 Healthy -21.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Santa Cruz County
Hays County, TX 48.8 Normal -0.0
Davidson County, TN 48.8 Normal -0.0
Summit County, OH 49.0 Normal +0.1
Ventura County, CA 48.6 Normal -0.2
Suffolk County, MA 49.0 Normal +0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Santa Cruz 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 Cruz 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 Cruz County, California?

    Santa Cruz County has a County Distress Index score of 48.8 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,685th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 41st in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Santa Cruz County?

    The primary driver of distress in Santa Cruz County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 94.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Santa Cruz County compare to neighboring counties?

    Santa Cruz County (48.8) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Monterey County, CA (60.4); San Benito County, CA (47.0); Santa Clara County, CA (27.7).

  • 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 Cruz County?

    Santa Cruz County, California has a population of approximately 261,547 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.