Santa Barbara County, California
Above the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 3.9× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 10%).
Main Findings
Santa Barbara County, California is more distressed than 49% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: a rent-to-income ratio of 39% — above the national median of 21%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis) and its lowest is Default & Legal.
- 35th of 58 counties in California on the County Distress Index — 49 · moderate-low county distress, more distressed than 49% of U.S. counties.
- A rent-to-income ratio of 39% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 100th percentile nationally. Source: HUD FMR (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 70th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
- Poverty rate at 16% — national median 13%, ranked at the 69th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Delinquency domain score 28 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 54-point drop to San Luis Obispo County marks where the California distress corridor ends.
Santa Barbara County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.
The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Santa Barbara County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Santa Barbara County's value shown alongside CA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Santa Barbara | CA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 28 · Rank 2,341 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 4% | 5% | 27th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 5% | 5% | 30th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 18% | 20% | 23% | 25th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 24 · Rank 2,621 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 15% | 18% | 23% | 17th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 90 | 119 | 126 | 31st | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 98 · Rank 7 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 39% | 27% | 21% | 100th | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 30% | 26% | 18% | 97th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 58 · Rank 1,232 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 20% | 23% | 21% | 47th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 5% | 6% | 4% | 70th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 41 · Rank 1,951 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 19% | 16% | 17% | 61st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 13% | 16% | 10th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 16% | 13% | 13% | 69th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 9% | 6% | 8% | 57th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Santa Barbara County data.
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Santa Barbara County is more distressed than 49% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Santa Barbara scores 49 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 49% of U.S. counties; its score label is moderate-low county distress. Within California, Santa Barbara ranks 35th of 58 counties.
The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Santa Barbara. A rent-to-income ratio of 39% — above the national median of 21%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Santa Barbara County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Santa Barbara County's distress score?
How does Santa Barbara County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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