Sutter County, California

County Distress Index: Elevated · 61.2 | 97,948 people · 20th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Sutter County, CA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 61.2 — 741st 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 20th of 58 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Sutter County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 84.6 — worse than roughly 85% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 84.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 92
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 66
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 88
Homeownership Rate 94
Rent-to-Income Ratio 84
Employment & Wages 77.6
Unemployment Rate 99
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 89
Business Formation Rate 44
Income & Poverty 66.0
Poverty Rate 63
Income vs. State Median 77
Child Poverty Rate 57
Debt & Delinquency 44.7
Debt in Collections 41
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 57
Auto Loan Delinquency 35
Credit Card Delinquency 68
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 61
Community Vulnerability 33.0
Uninsured Rate 29
Disability Rate 37

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Sutter County
Sutter County, CA 61.2 Elevated —
Butte County, CA 70.7 Serious +9.5
Yuba County, CA 67.6 Serious +6.4
Colusa County, CA 55.2 Elevated -6.0
Yolo County, CA 49.6 Normal -11.6
Sacramento County, CA 49.6 Normal -11.6
Placer County, CA 35.5 Normal -25.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Sutter County
Tuolumne County, CA 61.1 Elevated -0.0
Coryell County, TX 61.2 Elevated +0.0
Atascosa County, TX 61.1 Elevated -0.1
Randolph County, NC 61.0 Elevated -0.1
Carroll County, GA 61.3 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Sutter 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 Sutter 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 Sutter County, California?

    Sutter County has a County Distress Index score of 61.2 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 741st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 20th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Sutter County?

    The primary driver of distress in Sutter County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 84.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Sutter County compare to neighboring counties?

    Sutter County (61.2) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Butte County, CA (70.7); Yuba County, CA (67.6); Colusa County, CA (55.2).

  • 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 Sutter County?

    Sutter County, California has a population of approximately 97,948 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.