Maine County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 16 counties in Maine, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 39.9.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Maine Snapshot
16 Counties Scored
39.9 Mean Score
42.2 Median Score
57.5 Washington County Most Distressed
22.8 Cumberland County Least Distressed
4 moderate county distress5 moderate-low county distress2 low-moderate county distress5 low county distress
Score Label Distribution Maine County Map
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Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 16 Maine counties colored by county distress score range. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Maine's 16 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Maine Counties
16 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,186 | Washington County | 57.5 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 2 | 1,236 | Piscataquis County | 56.3 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 3 | 1,472 | Aroostook County | 52.4 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 4 | 1,508 | Somerset County | 51.6 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 5 | 1,714 | Androscoggin County | 47.8 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 6 | 1,753 | Oxford County | 47.2 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 7 | 1,920 | Franklin County | 44.2 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 8 | 2,013 | Penobscot County | 42.5 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 2,039 | Waldo County | 41.9 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 10 | 2,280 | Kennebec County | 37.4 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 11 | 2,477 | Hancock County | 33.2 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 12 | 2,678 | Knox County | 28.3 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 13 | 2,753 | York County | 26.3 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 14 | 2,794 | Lincoln County | 25.3 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 15 | 2,835 | Sagadahoc County | 24.3 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 16 | 2,885 | Cumberland County | 22.8 | low 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 Maine counties
very high county distress — 0 Maine counties
high county distress — 0 Maine counties
moderate-high county distress — 0 Maine counties
moderate county distress — 4 Maine counties
moderate-low county distress — 5 Maine counties
low-moderate county distress — 2 Maine counties
low county distress — 5 Maine counties
very low county distress — 0 Maine counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Maine counties