Connecticut County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 9 counties in Connecticut, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 50.1.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Connecticut Snapshot
9 Counties Scored
50.1 Mean Score
50.1 Median Score
60.9 Naugatuck Valley Planning Region Most Distressed
36.5 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region Least Distressed
2 moderate-high county distress3 moderate county distress3 moderate-low county distress1 low-moderate county distress
Score Label Distribution Connecticut County Map
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Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 9 Connecticut counties colored by county distress score range. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
60.3 moderate-high county distress
Debt Burden (housing basis) Least Distressed
36.5 low-moderate county distress
Debt Burden (housing basis) 44.2 moderate-low county distress
Debt Burden (housing basis) Score Distribution
How Connecticut's 9 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Connecticut Counties
9 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 997 | Naugatuck Valley Planning Region | 60.9 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 2 | 1,033 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | 60.3 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 3 | 1,341 | Greater Bridgeport Planning Region | 54.6 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 4 | 1,358 | Capitol Planning Region | 54.2 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 5 | 1,587 | Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region | 50.1 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 6 | 1,682 | Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region | 48.3 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 7 | 1,918 | Western Connecticut Planning Region | 44.2 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 8 | 2,037 | Northwest Hills Planning Region | 42.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 9 | 2,319 | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | 36.5 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
extreme county distress — 0 Connecticut counties
very high county distress — 0 Connecticut counties
high county distress — 0 Connecticut counties
moderate-high county distress — 2 Connecticut counties
moderate county distress — 3 Connecticut counties
moderate-low county distress — 3 Connecticut counties
low-moderate county distress — 1 Connecticut county
low county distress — 0 Connecticut counties
very low county distress — 0 Connecticut counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Connecticut counties