Sacramento County, California

County Distress Index: Elevated · 55.8 | 1,584,288 people · 21st most distressed in California
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Sacramento County scores 49.6 — just below the Elevated threshold, 39th of California's 58 counties. The state capital has been the release valve for Bay Area affordability pressure for a decade. People priced out of San Francisco and San Jose moved inland, brought remote salaries with them, and pushed Sacramento's housing costs up behind them. Housing Cost Burden now registers at the 94.8th percentile nationally. More than half of renters are cost-burdened. Rent-to-income sits at 30%. The debt layer is building. Bankruptcy filings run at 169.9 per 100,000 residents. Credit card delinquency is right at the national median. Auto loan delinquency just above it. None of these numbers scream crisis individually. Together they trace the outline of a county where the cost of living has outrun income but the debt consequences haven't fully materialized. Income & Poverty sits at just 30.7. The households aren't poor. They're squeezed. Sutter County, to the north, scores 61.2 (Elevated). San Joaquin: 55.9. Amador: 50.9. Sacramento sits at the center of a region where every neighbor scores worse. The gap is narrowing. A county that people move to for affordability is converging with the counties people have always needed to move away from.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five statistically derived factors of household financial distress, PCA-weighted. Sacramento County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 94.4 — worse than roughly 94% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 94.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 97
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 92
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 96
Homeownership Rate 94
Economic Vitality 75.8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 90
Rent-to-Income Ratio 95
Business Formation Rate 5
House Price Change (YoY) 83
Legal Distress 66.8
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 67
Consumer Credit Distress 38.0
Debt in Collections 34
Medical Debt 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 51
Credit Card Delinquency 51
Uninsured Rate 19
Subprime Credit Population 48
Structural Poverty 35.5
Unemployment Rate 80
Poverty Rate 37
Income vs. State Median 27
Child Poverty Rate 28
Disability Rate 22
Transfer Income Dependency 31

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

Neighbors and Peers

Neighboring Counties

CountyScoreZonevs. Sacramento County
Sacramento County, CA 55.8 Elevated —
San Joaquin County, CA 60.6 Elevated +4.8
Sutter County, CA 57.6 Elevated +1.8
Solano County, CA 57.1 Elevated +1.3
Yolo County, CA 46.4 Normal -9.5
Contra Costa County, CA 43.4 Normal -12.5
Amador County, CA 41.5 Normal -14.3
El Dorado County, CA 37.7 Normal -18.2
Placer County, CA 37.4 Normal -18.4

Population Peers

CountyScoreZonevs. Sacramento County
Queens County, NY 55.8 Elevated +0.0
Denton County, TX 56.5 Elevated +0.6
Mecklenburg County, NC 57.6 Elevated +1.8
Cook County, IL 57.7 Elevated +1.9
Los Angeles County, CA 58.3 Elevated +2.5

Download Data

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

Find Help in Sacramento County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Sacramento County.

GREATER SACRAMENTO URBAN LEAGUE-OAK PARK
Sacramento
916-286-8652 Website
Financial CounselingHomeless/DisplacementPost-PurchasePre-Purchase
NEIGHBORWORKS HOMEOWNERSHIP CENTER SACRAMENTO REGION
Sacramento
916-452-5356 Website
Foreclosure PreventionMortgage HelpFinancial CounselingFinancial Counseling
NSC (NACA COUNSELING SUBSIDIARY) - SACRAMENTO, CA
Sacramento
425-892-6222-1385 Website
Foreclosure PreventionMortgage HelpFinancial CounselingFair Housing
THE GREATER SACRAMENTO URBAN LEAGUE
Sacramento
916-286-8652 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingHome Improvement/RehabHomeless/Displacement

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 Sacramento 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 →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Sacramento County has a County Distress Index score of 55.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,215th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 21st in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Sacramento County?

    The primary driver of distress in Sacramento County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 94.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Sacramento County compare to neighboring counties?

    Sacramento County (55.8) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: San Joaquin County, CA (60.6); Sutter County, CA (57.6); Solano County, CA (57.1).

  • 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 Elevated 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). Sacramento County's score of 55.8 sits in the Elevated zone (55–71).

  • What data sources power Sacramento County's CDI score?

    Sacramento 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 Sacramento County?

    Sacramento County, California has a population of approximately 1,584,288 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.