Sonoma County, California

County Distress Index: Normal · 42.7 | 481,812 people · 48th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Sonoma County, CA falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 42.7 — 2160th 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 48th of 58 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Sonoma County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 93.3 — worse than roughly 93% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 93.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 95
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 86
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 97
Homeownership Rate 90
Rent-to-Income Ratio 99
Employment & Wages 70.3
Unemployment Rate 64
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 99
Business Formation Rate 48
Community Vulnerability 19.8
Uninsured Rate 22
Disability Rate 17
Debt & Delinquency 17.9
Debt in Collections 11
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 22
Auto Loan Delinquency 13
Credit Card Delinquency 24
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 31
Income & Poverty 12.3
Poverty Rate 13
Income vs. State Median 14
Child Poverty Rate 9

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Sonoma County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Sonoma County
Sonoma County, CA 42.7 Normal —
Lake County, CA 73.2 Serious +30.5
Mendocino County, CA 67.2 Serious +24.5
Solano County, CA 50.7 Elevated +7.9
Napa County, CA 43.7 Normal +1.0
Contra Costa County, CA 41.1 Normal -1.6
Marin County, CA 34.2 Healthy -8.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Sonoma County
Denver County, CO 42.7 Normal +0.0
Durham County, NC 42.9 Normal +0.2
Lancaster County, PA 42.5 Normal -0.2
Fort Bend County, TX 42.4 Normal -0.3
Rockland County, NY 42.4 Normal -0.4

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Sonoma County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Sonoma County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Sonoma County.

BALANCE - SANTA ROSA
Santa Rosa
800-777-7526 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFinancial CounselingPost-Purchase

See all counselors in California →

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 Sonoma 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Sonoma County, California?

    Sonoma County has a County Distress Index score of 42.7 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,160th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 48th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Sonoma County?

    The primary driver of distress in Sonoma County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 93.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Sonoma County compare to neighboring counties?

    Sonoma County (42.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Lake County, CA (73.2); Mendocino County, CA (67.2); Solano County, CA (50.7).

  • 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 Sonoma County?

    Sonoma County, California has a population of approximately 481,812 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.