Where in California are people feeling the most financial distress?

"When California cities were divided into three geographic regions - Southern California, the Bay Area, and anything inland - the most challenges were often found far from the coast. The average national ranking of the six inland cities was 39th worst for distress, the most troubled grade among the state's slices."

"The results remind us that inland California's affordability - it's home to the state's cheapest housing, for example - doesn't fully compensate for wages that typically decline the farther one works from the Pacific Ocean."

"Bakersfield received the inland region's worst score, ranking No. 24 highest nationally for financial distress. That was followed by Sacramento (30th), San Bernardino (39th), Stockton (43rd), Fresno (45th), and Riverside (52nd)."

A WalletHub analysis of financial distress across 100 U.S. cities, including 17 in California, examined credit scores, late bill payments, bankruptcy filings, and debt-related searches. Inland California cities showed the most financial challenges, averaging 39th worst nationally, significantly worse than Southern California (56th average) and the Bay Area (69th average). Bakersfield ranked worst inland at 24th nationally, followed by Sacramento, San Bernardino, Stockton, Fresno, and Riverside. Los Angeles surprisingly ranked fifth-worst nationally despite Southern California's overall better performance. The analysis reveals that inland California's affordability advantage, including cheaper housing, fails to offset lower wages typical of regions farther from the Pacific coast.

Read at The Mercury News