San Diego County, California

County Distress Index: Normal · 48.8 | 3,269,973 people · 31st most distressed in California
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San Diego County scores 46.3. Normal zone. That classification contains a structural contradiction worth examining. Housing Cost Burden registers at the 97.5th percentile. Rent-to-income ratio: 98.8th percentile. Owner cost burden: 98.0th percentile. These numbers place San Diego in the top 2-3% of American counties for housing strain. The county reads as Normal because the other four domains pull the average down. Debt & Delinquency is just 29.7. Income & Poverty is 16.9. Community Vulnerability sits at 23.0. If you ignored housing entirely, San Diego would register among the healthiest counties in the country. But housing isn't a category you can ignore. It's the single largest line item in every household budget. The gap between 97.5 in housing and 16.9 in poverty tells a specific story. This is a county where incomes are above average and the cost of shelter consumes the advantage. Neighboring Imperial County, across the mountains, scores 70.9 (Serious). Riverside to the north hits 56.1. San Diego's Normal label is accurate in composite. It obscures the reality that 3.3 million people live with near-maximum housing burden.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five statistically derived factors of household financial distress, PCA-weighted. San Diego County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 97.2 — worse than roughly 97% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 97.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 99
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 95
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 99
Homeownership Rate 97
Economic Vitality 84.5
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 99
Rent-to-Income Ratio 99
Business Formation Rate 26
House Price Change (YoY) 83
Legal Distress 63.9
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 64
Consumer Credit Distress 25.0
Debt in Collections 19
Medical Debt 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 31
Credit Card Delinquency 28
Uninsured Rate 38
Subprime Credit Population 31
Structural Poverty 20.3
Unemployment Rate 69
Poverty Rate 21
Income vs. State Median 12
Child Poverty Rate 17
Disability Rate 8
Transfer Income Dependency 10

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

Neighbors and Peers

Neighboring Counties

CountyScoreZonevs. San Diego County
San Diego County, CA 48.8 Normal —
Imperial County, CA 69.0 Serious +20.2
Riverside County, CA 62.8 Elevated +14.0
Orange County, CA 44.1 Normal -4.7

Population Peers

CountyScoreZonevs. San Diego County
Collin County, TX 48.5 Normal -0.3
Salt Lake County, UT 48.2 Normal -0.6
Travis County, TX 51.2 Elevated +2.4
Orange County, CA 44.1 Normal -4.7
Suffolk County, NY 43.9 Normal -4.9

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for San Diego County as a CSV file.

Find Help in San Diego County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near San Diego County.

CREDIT.ORG - NATIONAL CITY
National City
619-830-4802 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFinancial CounselingPre-Purchase
MONEY MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL - SAN DIEGO
San Diego
866-232-9080 Website
Foreclosure PreventionPost-PurchasePre-PurchaseHomebuyer Education
NAVICORE SOLUTIONS- SAN DIEGO, CA
San Diego
866-472-4557 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFinancial CounselingPre-Purchase
URBAN LEAGUE OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
San Diego
619-266-6256 Website
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingHomeless/DisplacementPost-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 San Diego 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 San Diego County, California?

    San Diego County has a County Distress Index score of 48.8 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,657th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 31st in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in San Diego County?

    The primary driver of distress in San Diego County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 97.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does San Diego County compare to neighboring counties?

    San Diego County (48.8) can be compared to its 3 neighboring counties: Imperial County, CA (69.0); Riverside County, CA (62.8); Orange County, CA (44.1).

  • 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 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). San Diego County's score of 48.8 sits in the Normal zone (46–55).

  • What data sources power San Diego County's CDI score?

    San Diego 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 San Diego County?

    San Diego County, California has a population of approximately 3,269,973 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.