About one in 13 people in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, lives below the poverty line
In Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, 7.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region's score
In Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 61.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 12.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Northeastern Connecticut 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.
Even so, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.9% · 2020 to 202438th 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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- 48.1 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 people117.9 · 202545th percentile
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- 34.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.7% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
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- 13.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.7% · 20246th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.7% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability14.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance3.8% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$95,324 · 20247th 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 Northeastern Connecticut 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 Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region
Connecticut
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region had its largest rise, from 15.8% in 2004 to 20.9% in 2009.
In Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.7% in 2021 to 11.4% in 2022.
The share of households in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut.
How Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region has changed
The number of jobs located in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region held about level from 2024 to 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 2024 28,792 | 2025 29,055 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.2% | 2024 7.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,042 | 2024 $95,324 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region's history
2013
2013, established to replace Connecticut's counties as county-equivalent. Wikipedia
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region ranks 4th of the eight; Hampden County is highest, at 32.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampden County, MA | 76 | 16.0% | 32.2% |
| Providence County, RI | 65 | 14.8% | 23.1% |
| Capitol Planning Region, CT | 51 | 10.4% | 17.1% |
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 47 | 9.6% | 22.2% |
| Worcester County, MA | 37 | 9.6% | 18.8% |
| Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 35 | 7.7% | 21.8% |
| Kent County, RI | 31 | 7.8% | 19.8% |
| Washington County, RI | 10 | 7.8% | 17.3% |
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 Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region the poorest county in Connecticut?
No, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region's poverty rate was 7.7% in 2024, 8th highest of 9 in Connecticut (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, at 12.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region ranks 8th of 9 in the state.
Questions about Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut
What is the population of Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut?
97,701 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Northeastern Connecticut 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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Connecticut Legal Services (CLS)
Legal aid
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Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut
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 Northeastern Connecticut 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 Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.