Orange County, Florida
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Orange County. Population: 1,471,416 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Orange County, FL registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.5 — 870th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Florida, it ranks 38th of 67 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Orange County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Employment & Wages
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
How Orange County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, FL | 59.5 | Elevated | — |
| Polk County, FL | 66.5 | Serious Stress | +6.9 |
| Volusia County, FL | 65.8 | Serious Stress | +6.3 |
| Osceola County, FL | 61.8 | Elevated | +2.2 |
| Lake County, FL | 58.1 | Elevated | -1.5 |
| Brevard County, FL | 54.8 | Elevated | -4.8 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough County, FL | 59.2 | Elevated | -0.3 |
| Harris County, TX | 59.2 | Elevated | -0.4 |
| Broward County, FL | 59.1 | Elevated | -0.5 |
| Dallas County, TX | 60.3 | Elevated | +0.8 |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 60.8 | Elevated | +1.3 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Orange County as a CSV file.
Resources
Orange County scores in the Elevated zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Orange County, Florida?
Orange County has a County Distress Index score of 59.5 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 870th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 38th in Florida out of 67 counties.
What drives financial distress in Orange County?
The primary driver of distress in Orange County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 94.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Orange County compare to neighboring counties?
Orange County (59.5) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Polk County, FL (66.5); Volusia County, FL (65.8); Osceola County, FL (61.8).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Orange County?
Orange County, Florida has a population of approximately 1,471,416 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.