Santa Cruz County, California
More than double the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 4.1× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Steele County, ND — 12%).
Main Findings
Santa Cruz County, California ranks 1,633rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a rent-to-income ratio of 49% — more than double the national median of 21%.
- 1,633rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 40th in California.
- A rent-to-income ratio of 49% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 100th percentile nationally.
- Unemployment at 6% — national median 4%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Safety Net & Buffer domain score 20 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Default & Legal domain score 19 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 29-point drop to San Mateo County marks where the California distress corridor ends.
"Santa Cruz County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
The Indicators Behind Santa Cruz County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Santa Cruz County's value shown alongside CA's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Santa Cruz | CA median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 15 · Rank 2,799 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 4% | 5% | 23rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 5% | 5% | 14th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 14% | 20% | 23% | 9th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 19 · Rank 2,813 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 11% | 18% | 23% | 6th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 92 | 119 | 126 | 32nd | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 97 · Rank 23 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 49% | 27% | 21% | 100th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 28% | 25% | 18% | 94th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 95 · Rank 56 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 5% | 4% | 95th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 20 · Rank 2,752 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 14% | 16% | 18% | 30th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 11% | 13% | 16% | 11th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 13% | 13% | 14% | 42nd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 15% | 24% | 27% | 7th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 5% | 6% | 8% | 21st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
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 is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. 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 CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Santa Cruz County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 158-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Santa Cruz County ranks 1,633rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 49 out of 100 places Santa Cruz in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,632 counties rank more distressed. Within California, Santa Cruz ranks 40th of 58 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 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 Cruz. A rent-to-income ratio of 49% — more than double the national median of 21%.
"Santa Cruz County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Santa Cruz County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Santa Cruz County's distress score?
How does Santa Cruz County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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