Unemployment in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties
In Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, 5.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Naugatuck Valley Planning Region's score
In Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 88.2. Jobs come next, at 62.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.8%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($81,346, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.2% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.7% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 62.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 51.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this state; scored at the national median · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this state; scored at the national median · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit scorenot published for this state; scored at the national median50th percentile
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- 44.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this state; scored at the national median · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104.6 · 202538th percentile
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- 32.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.9% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,346 · 202418th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, 19.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region
Connecticut
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.2% in 2011 to 11.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.5%
High on the chart: 15.2% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut.
How Naugatuck Valley Planning Region has changed
The number of jobs located in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region held about level from 2024 to 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 2024 160,111 | 2025 159,762 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $36,601 | 2024 $81,346 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region's history
2013
2013, established to replace Connecticut's counties as county-equivalent. Wikipedia
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, one scores higher. Of the group, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (20.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 61 | 11.4% | 11.1% |
| Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 58 | 12.5% | 20.0% |
| South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 55 | 11.5% | 20.0% |
| Capitol Planning Region, CT | 51 | 10.4% | 17.1% |
| Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 42 | 8.6% | 17.0% |
| Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 40 | 7.8% | 7.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Naugatuck Valley Planning Region the poorest county in Connecticut?
Yes, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, the highest of 9 counties in Connecticut (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region ranks 2nd of 9 in the state.
Questions about Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut
What is the population of Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut?
462,220 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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New Haven Legal Assistance Association (NHLAA)
Legal aid
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Connecticut Legal Services (CLS)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Naugatuck Valley Planning Region · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.