For a lot of Sonoma County residents, debt is a way of life and it’s not uncommon to be bogged down by student loans, credit cards or a hefty mortgage. The rapid job growth in the Bay Area may be partly to blame, with so many new grads pouring into the area looking for work. The median sale price for homes in these counties checks in at just under $500,000, according to Zillow.
Similar to the story we did about the most debt-ridden ZIP codes in San Francisco, we used internal data from our base of six million Credit Sesame users to examine the overall debt in cities within Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties.
How do these counties compare to the rest of the nation? According to the Census Bureau, the average mortgage debt comes to $117,000, average student debt is $28,400, and the average credit card data from the Census Bureau is $3,500 (from 2011). The average credit card debt of Credit Sesame users in the U.S. is $4,693.
If you live in any of these counties, take a look to see whether your city made the list.
Sonoma County (Population: 495,025)
1. Windsor
Windsor will soon get a station stop on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) line. Photo: http://bit.ly/1WzvKM2
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $7,589
Student loans: $18,604
Mortgage loans: $352,563
Auto loans: $13,991
Average debt total: $157,247
Windsor is the ideal suburban escape for people who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Santa Rosa but they’re dragging along a big load of debt. This city of 28,000 people topped our list with the highest average debt overall, at nearly $160,000.
2. Petaluma
Many movies were shot in Petaluma including “Howard the Duck,” “Cujo,” “Basic Instinct,” and “Scream.” Photo: http://bit.ly/1SsSlEg
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $7,372
Student loans: $25,678
Mortgage loans: $306,868
Auto loans: $18,009
Average debt total: $98,439
With close to 60,000 residents, Petaluma is just over twice the size of Windsor and it gives the city a serious run for its money, in terms of debt. Like Windsor, housing eats up a big chunk of homeowners’ incomes and residents are carrying an even bigger student loan burden.
3. Santa Rosa
The McDonald Mansion, a historic residence of the McDonald family. Photo: http://bit.ly/1OrtTEQ
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $4,231
Student loans: $28,011
Mortgage loans: $309,264
Auto loans: $15,832
Average debt total: $64,391
As the seat of Sonoma County and the largest city in the North Bay area, Santa Rosa is definitely a thriving metropolis. Folks in Santa Rosa aren’t relying on credit cards as heavily, but they’ve got the most student loan debt of any city on our list, not to mention a healthy amount of mortgage debt.
4. Rohnert Park
This is an early planned city, modeled directly after Levittown, New York and Levittown, Pennsylvania. Photo: http://bit.ly/1LSyxb6
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $4,506
Student loans: $20,908
Mortgage loans: $260,665
Auto loans: $18,390
Average debt total: $57,258
Rohnert Park’s nickname is “The Friendly City” and compared to the other Sonoma County cities we’ve profiled, it’s definitely a little friendlier on your wallet. The average total debt load is quite a bit lower here thanks to the fact that housing is a better bargain, although student loans are still a major financial pain.
Mendocino County (Population: 87,192)
5. Ukiah
“World’s Largest Redwood Tree Service Station.” Possibly the only one as well. Photo: http://bit.ly/1iG6bGD
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $3,52
Student loans: $21,669
Mortgage loans: $184,414
Auto loans: $13,372
Average debt total: $38,726
With a population of about 16,000, Ukiah is a lot smaller than some of the other cities in our rankings but its residents are no strangers to debt. The city ranked fourth overall for student loans and the nearly $185,000 average of mortgage debt is high too.
6. Willits
This arch was donated to the city by Reno, Nevada in 1995. Photo: http://bit.ly/1l9KNew
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $3,778
Student loans: $13,048
Mortgage loans: $163,516
Auto loans: $10,275
Average debt total: $31,468
Willits is Ukiah’s smaller neighbor and living here doesn’t put as much of a strain on the budgets of the 5,000 or so people that call it home. The average mortgage loan value is about $20,000 lower and the total debt load is about $7,000 less.
7. Redwood Valley
Redwood Valley was the home of Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple cult (a religious movement founded in 1955) for a short time. Photo: http://bit.ly/1NfWcAh
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $4,284
Student loans: $16,516
Mortgage loans: $78,206
Auto loans: $19,319
Average debt total: $30,22
Compared to Willits, Redwood Valley is downright tiny, with a population of around 1,700 people. Overall, residents don’t have nearly as much as debt compared to our Sonoma County cities, although they rank second overall for average car loan value.
8. Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg is the western terminus of the California Western Railroad otherwise known locally as the “Skunk Train.” Photo: http://bit.ly/1GNGEac
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $8,075
Student loans: $7,835
Mortgage loans: $361,333
Auto loans: $14,983
Average debt total: $25,620
Fort Bragg is a tourist hotspot thanks to its beachfront location and full-time residents spend some serious cash to enjoy the ocean view. Out of all 12 cities on our list, this one boasts the highest average mortgage loan value, at more than $360,000. Fort Bragg natives also take first place for credit card debt.
Lake County (Population: 63,860)
9. Hidden Valley Lake
5,570 people call this “census-designated place” home. Photo: http://bit.ly/1OrBfZ0
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $6,535
Student loans: $20,091
Mortgage loans: $218,313
Auto loans: $24,74
Average debt total: $138,850
Hidden Valley Lake is tucked away in the southern part of Lake County and it’s got a lot to offer if you’re into golf or the great outdoors in general. In terms of the average debt, Hidden Valley Lake ranks second overall behind Windsor and on average, residents have more car loan debt than any other city.
10. Kelseyville
Kelsey Town in named honor of Andrew Kelsey who was an early settler who was killed by the people he enslaved. Photo: http://bit.ly/1Qhlrr1
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $3,581
Student loans: $25,900
Mortgage loans: $162,974
Auto loans: $18,418
Average debt total: $51,376
Kelseyville is another small town with big debt problems. It comes second only to Santa Rosa for average student loan value and the average car loan debt is on par with what Petaluma and Rohnert Park residents are carrying.
11. Lakeport
In 1892, Lakeport got its first telephone. It hasn’t been the same since. Photo: http://bit.ly/1Qhlrr1
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $4,384
Student loans: $14,293
Mortgage loans: $229,412
Auto loans: $13,632
Average debt total: $43,833
Just down the road from Kelseyville is Lakeport, which sits on the western shore of Clear Lake. Compared to our Sonoma County cities, the debt burden isn’t nearly as suffocating here, although residents are still taking on some sizable mortgage loans to own a home.
12. Clearlake
Clearlake is hope to Michael Berryman, an actor with no sweat glands, hair, fingernails or teeth who often plays mutants in B-movies. Photo: http://bit.ly/1RZdBAS
Average value of loans:
Credit cards: $2,312
Student loans: $17,485
Mortgage loans: $107,832
Auto loans: $9,997
Average debt total: $15,350
Clearlake features an eclectic mix of people but debt is something a lot of them have in common. The city ranks last overall in terms of the total average debt, with residents owing the least amount in credit cards and car loans.
Methodology
To get the numbers for our rankings, we analyzed proprietary data from six million Credit Sesame users. We began by looking at the number of Credit Sesame users for each city, their average age and average credit score.
From there, we looked in detail at the average loan value for credit cards, student loans, mortgage loans and auto loans in each city, as well as the average number of loans each Credit Sesame user reported. To finalize our rankings, we chose the top four cities from each county and ranked each of them based on their average debt total.
Population data for each city and county was drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau.
| City Name | County | Average Credit Card Debt | Average Student Loan Debt | Average Mortgage Loan Debt | Average Auto Loan Debt | Total Debt Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Windsor | Sonoma | $7,589 | $18,604 | $352,563 | $13,991 | $157,247 |
| 2. Hidden Valley Lake | Lake | $6,535 | $20,091 | $218,313 | $24,745 | $138,850 |
| 3. Petaluma | Sonoma | $7,372 | $25,678 | $306,868 | $18,009 | $98,439 |
| 4. Santa Rosa | Sonoma | $4,231 | $28,011 | $309,264 | $15,832 | $64,391 |
| 5. Rohnert Park | Sonoma | $4,506 | $20,908 | $260,665 | $18,390 | $57,258 |
| 6. Kelseyville | Lake | $3,581 | $25,900 | $162,974 | $18,418 | $51,376 |
| 7. Lakeport | Lake | $4,384 | $14,293 | $229,412 | $13,632 | $43,833 |
| 8. Ukiah | Mendocino | $3,529 | $21,669 | $184,414 | $13,372 | $38,726 |
| 9. Willits | Mendocino | $3,778 | $13,048 | $163,516 | $10,275 | $31,468 |
| 10. Redwood Valley | Mendocino | $4,284 | $16,516 | $78,206 | $19,319 | $30,227 |
| 11. Fort Bragg | Mendocino | $8,075 | $7,835 | $361,333 | $14,983 | $25,620 |
| 12. Clearlake | Lake | $2,312 | $17,485 | $107,832 | $9,997 | $15,350 |
Sources:
Zillow’s media home price: http://www.zillow.com/sonoma-county-ca/home-values/
U.S. Census Bureau credit card debt data from 2011: https://www.census.gov/people/wealth/files/Debt%20Highlights%202011.pdf
The National Institute for College Access and Success average student loan debt: http://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data