Contra Costa County, California

County Distress Index: Normal · 43.4 | 1,155,025 people · 39th most distressed in California
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Contra Costa County is the East Bay's affluent side. Median household income sits at 1.5 times the California figure. Poverty is under 9%. Debt and delinquency scores rank in the bottom quartile nationally. By almost every traditional metric of financial health, this is a county that works. And then housing takes 90.75 out of 100 on the distress scale. Owner cost burden ranks at the 97th percentile. Renter burden at the 96th. The wage-to-rent ratio sits at the 97th percentile for unaffordability. A county where the paychecks are large and the housing costs are larger. The gap between the 25.9 debt score and the 90.8 housing score is a 65-point spread. Strip away the housing domain and Contra Costa would rank among the healthiest counties in America. Across the East Bay hills, neighbors tell a different story. San Joaquin County scores 55.9 (Elevated). Solano hits 50.7. Sacramento, 49.6. Contra Costa's 41.1 Normal score makes it the lowest in the surrounding cluster. It ranks 51st of 58 California counties. The housing pressure that defines coastal California doesn't stop at county lines. It just hits differently depending on whether the income base can absorb it.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five statistically derived factors of household financial distress, PCA-weighted. Contra Costa County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 91.0 — worse than roughly 91% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 91.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 96
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 90
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 97
Homeownership Rate 78
Economic Vitality 84.1
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 97
Rent-to-Income Ratio 93
Business Formation Rate 36
House Price Change (YoY) 87
Legal Distress 39.8
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 40
Consumer Credit Distress 21.8
Debt in Collections 17
Medical Debt 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 36
Credit Card Delinquency 27
Uninsured Rate 15
Subprime Credit Population 23
Structural Poverty 15.1
Unemployment Rate 72
Poverty Rate 9
Income vs. State Median 4
Child Poverty Rate 11
Disability Rate 11
Transfer Income Dependency 4

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.

Neighbors and Peers

Neighboring Counties

CountyScoreZonevs. Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County, CA 43.4 Normal —
San Joaquin County, CA 60.6 Elevated +17.3
Solano County, CA 57.1 Elevated +13.8
Sacramento County, CA 55.8 Elevated +12.5
Sonoma County, CA 40.2 Normal -3.2
Alameda County, CA 39.3 Normal -4.1
Marin County, CA 33.0 Healthy -10.3
San Francisco County, CA 25.7 Healthy -17.7

Population Peers

CountyScoreZonevs. Contra Costa County
Wake County, NC 43.4 Normal +0.1
Suffolk County, NY 43.9 Normal +0.5
Orange County, CA 44.1 Normal +0.8
Allegheny County, PA 41.6 Normal -1.8
New York County, NY 40.4 Normal -3.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Contra Costa County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Contra Costa County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Contra Costa County.

BALANCE
Walnut Creek
800-777-7526 Website
Foreclosure PreventionMortgage HelpFinancial CounselingFinancial Counseling
BALANCE - CONCORD
Concord
800-777-7526 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFinancial CounselingPost-Purchase
COMMUNITY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF NORTH RICHMOND
Richmond
510-412-9290 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFinancial CounselingHome Improvement/Rehab
RICHMOND NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES, INC
Richmond
510-237-6459-1601 Website
Foreclosure PreventionMortgage HelpPre-PurchaseHomebuyer Education

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 Contra Costa 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 Contra Costa County, California?

    Contra Costa County has a County Distress Index score of 43.4 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,994th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 39th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Contra Costa County?

    The primary driver of distress in Contra Costa County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 91.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Contra Costa County compare to neighboring counties?

    Contra Costa County (43.4) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: San Joaquin County, CA (60.6); Solano County, CA (57.1); Sacramento County, CA (55.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses PCA-weighted percentile scoring across five statistically derived factors: Consumer Credit Distress (47.5%), Housing Cost Burden (22.3%), Structural Poverty (13.6%), Economic Vitality (9.2%), and Legal Distress (7.4%). 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.

  • How often is the CDI updated?

    Annually, aligned to Census American Community Survey and Urban Institute Debt in America release windows — the slowest-moving source inputs. Between annual refreshes, faster-cadence indicators (BLS unemployment, QCEW wages) may drive light mid-year updates if a specific component moves meaningfully. Current data compiled April 14, 2026; next full refresh early 2027.

  • What does the Normal zone mean?

    The CDI divides counties into five zones: Healthy (below 46), Normal (46–55), Elevated (55–71), Serious (71–86), and Crisis (86 and above). Contra Costa County's score of 43.4 sits in the Normal zone (46–55).

  • What data sources power Contra Costa County's CDI score?

    Contra Costa County's CDI score draws on Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax credit-bureau panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS, QCEW), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Every number on this page traces to one of these public sources.

  • What is the population of Contra Costa County?

    Contra Costa County, California has a population of approximately 1,155,025 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.