County Data

Maine County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 16 counties in Maine, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 43.0.

Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26

Maine Snapshot

16 Counties Scored
43.0 Mean Score
45.5 Median Score
54.9 Androscoggin County Most Distressed
28.6 Lincoln County Least Distressed
3 Elevated 9 Normal 4 Healthy
Zone Distribution

Maine County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 16 Maine counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Most & Least Distressed

Most Distressed

#1 Androscoggin County
54.9 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress
#2 Washington County
51.2 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress
#3 Somerset County
50.7 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress

Least Distressed

#16 Lincoln County
28.6 Healthy
Consumer Credit Distress
#15 Cumberland County
32.6 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden
#14 York County
34.0 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden

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 Zone Primary Driver
1 1,280 Androscoggin County 54.9 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
2 1,504 Washington County 51.2 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
3 1,534 Somerset County 50.7 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
4 1,624 Piscataquis County 49.3 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
5 1,637 Penobscot County 49.1 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
6 1,718 Oxford County 48.0 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
7 1,817 Waldo County 46.4 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
8 1,854 Kennebec County 45.9 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
9 1,884 Aroostook County 45.2 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
10 2,031 Hancock County 42.7 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
11 2,262 Franklin County 39.0 Normal Consumer Credit Distress
12 2,404 Sagadahoc County 36.3 Normal Housing Cost Burden
13 2,514 Knox County 34.1 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
14 2,525 York County 34.0 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
15 2,610 Cumberland County 32.6 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
16 2,820 Lincoln County 28.6 Healthy Consumer Credit Distress

How County Scores Work

Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.

Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties

Full CDI methodology and data sources

Maine Resources

Maine State Profile

State ADI score: 39.1 (Healthy). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for Maine.

Find Help in Maine

HUD-approved housing counselors, legal aid offices, credit counselors, and debtor education providers in Maine.

Maine Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in Maine.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare Maine to the rest of the country.

National County Profiles

All 3,144 U.S. counties ranked by financial distress score.
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