Santa Clara County Renting and Housing Cost Burden Statistics
35.1% of Santa Clara County households pay 30% or more of income on housing. That is the 9th lowest rate of California's 58 counties, and only eight counties in the state are lower. A county with extremely high housing costs sits near the bottom of the state for housing cost burden. County per capita personal income ranks 4th of 58 and 42.2% of the population rents, two figures that sit alongside the low burden rate.
Key Santa Clara County Renting and Cost Burden Statistics
Census Bureau ACS data- 35.1% of Santa Clara County households are housing cost burdened. (Census Bureau, ACS)
- That ranks 50th of 58 California counties by burden, the 9th lowest in the state. (Census Bureau, ACS)
- Only eight California counties have a lower cost burden rate. (Census Bureau, ACS)
- The California county median burden is 39.2%, so Santa Clara County runs 4.1 points below the typical county. (Census Bureau, ACS)
- Los Angeles County is the most burdened in California at 47.1%. (Census Bureau, ACS)
- Monterey County ranks 8th most burdened in the state at 41.8%. (Census Bureau, ACS)
- 42.2% of the Santa Clara County population lives in renter occupied housing. (Census Bureau, ACS)
- Santa Clara County burden rose from 34.6% to 35.1% between the 2023 and 2024 estimates. (Census Bureau, ACS)
- Statewide 48 of 58 California counties saw burden rise over the same period. (Census Bureau, ACS)
What Share of Santa Clara County Is Housing Cost Burdened?
35.1% of Santa Clara County households pay 30% or more of household income on housing, from the Census Bureau American Community Survey five year estimate ending 2024.
Cost burden counts mortgage or rent together with taxes, insurance, utilities and fuel. The 30 percent threshold is the federal convention for housing affordability. Santa Clara County sits 4.1 points below the California county median of 39.2%, and the rate rose from 34.6% in the prior estimate.
| Measure | Value | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Cost burdened households | 35.1% | Paying 30 percent or more of income on housing |
| Rank in California | 50 of 58 | 9th lowest burden in the state |
| California county median | 39.2% | Santa Clara County is 4.1 points below |
| Prior estimate | 34.6% | Estimate ending 2023 |
| Renter share of population | 42.2% | ACS table B25008 |
Source: Burdened Households series DP04ACS006085, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, built from Census Bureau American Community Survey five year estimates, table DP04, ending 2024. Component variables are listed in the method table below.
Why Is Housing Cost Burden Relatively Low Despite Santa Clara County's High Housing Costs?
Because burden measures housing cost against income, not price. Santa Clara County ranks 4th of 58 California counties for per capita personal income in the Bureau of Economic Analysis county series, and high incomes absorb high housing costs. County earnings are broken out on the Santa Clara County income statistics page.
The result reads as a contradiction and is not one. Santa Clara County carries extremely high housing costs, set out on the Santa Clara County home price statistics page, and one of the state's lowest shares of households overspending on housing. Los Angeles County, where median prices are far lower, is the most burdened county in the state at 47.1%. What separates them is not the cost of a home but the relationship between that cost and local earnings.
Two related figures belong beside this one. Santa Clara County ranks 48th of 58 for homeownership, and 42.2% of its population rents. Cost burden describes current resident households. It does not measure households that may have chosen or been unable to live in the county because of housing costs, and this dataset cannot identify those households either way.
How Does Santa Clara County Compare to Its Neighbours?
Monterey County is the most burdened of the four at 41.8%, ranking 8th in California. Santa Clara County is the least burdened at 35.1%.
| County | 2024 estimate | 2023 estimate | Burden rank | Renter share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey County | 41.8% | 41.7% | 8 of 58 | 50.3% |
| Santa Cruz County | 39.0% | 38.8% | 32 of 58 | 40.1% |
| San Mateo County | 36.6% | 36.6% | 43 of 58 | 38.9% |
| Santa Clara County | 35.1% | 34.6% | 50 of 58 | 42.2% |
Source: Census Bureau, ACS five year estimates. Burden rank of 1 is the most burdened of California's 58 counties.
| County | Cost burdened | Burden rank |
|---|---|---|
| Solano County | 41.8% | 10 of 58 |
| Marin County | 40.4% | 21 of 58 |
| Sonoma County | 40.2% | 22 of 58 |
| Napa County | 40.1% | 24 of 58 |
| Contra Costa County | 38.7% | 35 of 58 |
| Alameda County | 38.3% | 36 of 58 |
| San Mateo County | 36.6% | 43 of 58 |
| San Francisco County | 35.6% | 47 of 58 |
| Santa Clara County | 35.1% | 50 of 58 |
Source: Census Bureau, ACS five year estimates ending 2024.
Which California Counties Are Most and Least Burdened?
Los Angeles County is the most burdened at 47.1% and Modoc County the least at 25.1%, a spread of 22 points across the state.
| Rank | County | Cost burdened |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles County | 47.1% |
| 2 | Humboldt County | 43.6% |
| 3 | San Diego County | 43.6% |
| 4 | Santa Barbara County | 43.3% |
| 5 | Mono County | 43.0% |
| 6 | Tuolumne County | 42.2% |
| 7 | Orange County | 42.0% |
| 8 | Monterey County | 41.8% |
| 9 | Lake County | 41.8% |
| 10 | Solano County | 41.8% |
| Rank | County | Cost burdened |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Plumas County | 35.2% |
| 50 | Santa Clara County | 35.1% |
| 51 | Glenn County | 35.1% |
| 52 | Sierra County | 33.6% |
| 53 | Lassen County | 31.9% |
| 54 | Del Norte County | 30.1% |
| 55 | Trinity County | 28.7% |
| 56 | Inyo County | 27.4% |
| 57 | Alpine County | 27.4% |
| 58 | Modoc County | 25.1% |
Source: Census Bureau, ACS five year estimates ending 2024, all 58 California counties on one methodology.
How These Santa Clara County Figures Are Calculated
The cost burden rate is the Burdened Households series published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, built from Census Bureau American Community Survey five year estimates, table DP04. Santa Clara County is series DP04ACS006085. DP04 reports housing cost to income separately for owners with a mortgage, owners without a mortgage and renters, so a single countywide rate is a construction across those three universes rather than a published DP04 percentage. Renter share comes from table B25008. Per capita personal income rank comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis county personal income series. Ranks and the county median are computed across all 58 California counties on each measure separately.
| Element | Definition |
|---|---|
| Source | United States Census Bureau, American Community Survey five year estimates |
| Burden table | DP04, selected housing characteristics |
| Burden definition | Households paying 30 percent or more of household income on housing |
| Owner costs included | Mortgage payments, real estate taxes, hazard and flood insurance, utilities, fuels, condominium fees |
| Renter costs included | Gross rent, meaning contract rent plus utilities and fuels paid by the renter |
| Excluded | Households where owner costs or gross rent cannot be computed |
| Published series | Burdened Households, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, county series DP04ACS006085, one methodology across all 3,143 United States counties |
| Numerator | DP04_0114E and DP04_0115E, owners with a mortgage paying 30.0 to 34.9 percent and 35.0 percent or more of income on selected monthly owner costs; DP04_0123E and DP04_0124E, owners without a mortgage in the same two bands; DP04_0141E and DP04_0142E, renters in the same two bands on gross rent |
| Denominator | DP04_0110E, DP04_0117E and DP04_0136E, total households with a mortgage, total households without a mortgage, and total households that rent |
| Owner and renter universes | DP04 reports owners with a mortgage, owners without a mortgage and renters separately. The countywide rate combines all three; it is not a single published DP04 percentage |
| Renter share table | B25008, population in occupied units by tenure |
| Income rank source | Bureau of Economic Analysis, county personal income, per capita personal income ranked across all 58 California counties |
| Ranks and median | Computed by Aegis across all 58 California counties from the same release |
| Overlap caution | Consecutive five year estimates share four years of sample; year over year change is directional |
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Official Sources
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Using these figures
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Timothy Alston. "Santa Clara County Renting and Housing Cost Burden Statistics." Aegis Luxury Real Estate, DRE# 01328224, updated August 12, 2026. https://aegishomesre.com/santa-clara-county-renting-and-housing-cost-burden-statistics/
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Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of Santa Clara County households are housing cost burdened?
35.1 percent, from the Census Bureau American Community Survey five year estimate ending 2024. A household is cost burdened when it pays 30 percent or more of household income on housing, counting mortgage or rent plus taxes, insurance and utilities.
Does Santa Clara County have a high housing cost burden?
No, and this is the counterintuitive part. Santa Clara County has the ninth lowest cost burden rate of California's 58 counties. Only eight counties have a lower rate. A county with extremely high housing costs sits near the bottom of the state for the share of households overspending on housing.
Why Is Housing Cost Burden Relatively Low Despite Santa Clara County's High Housing Costs?
Because burden is a ratio of housing cost to income, not a measure of price. Santa Clara County ranks 4th of 58 California counties for per capita personal income in the Bureau of Economic Analysis county series. High incomes absorb high housing costs. The measure describes current resident households and does not capture households that may have chosen or been unable to live in the county because of housing costs.
Which California county has the highest housing cost burden?
Los Angeles County, at 47.1 percent of households. Humboldt follows at 43.6 percent, San Diego at 43.6 percent and Santa Barbara at 43.3 percent.
How does Santa Clara County compare to its neighbours on cost burden?
Monterey County is far more burdened at 41.8 percent, ranking 8th most burdened in California. Santa Cruz is at 39.0 percent, San Mateo at 36.6 percent and Santa Clara at 35.1 percent, the lowest of the four.
Is housing cost burden rising in Santa Clara County?
Slightly. The Santa Clara County rate rose from 34.6 percent to 35.1 percent between the 2023 and 2024 estimates. Statewide 48 of 58 California counties rose over the same period.
Timothy Alston
Timothy Alston is a licensed California real estate Broker serving all 15 cities of Santa Clara County. This reference page is maintained as part of an ongoing statistical series and is updated in place when its source data or methodology materially changes.