Bristol County, Massachusetts

County Distress Index: Elevated · 57.9 | 581,841 people · 2nd most distressed in Massachusetts

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Bristol County, MA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 57.9 — 1003rd 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 Massachusetts, it ranks 2nd of 14 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bristol County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 89.5 — worse than roughly 90% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 89.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 87
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 87
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 97
Homeownership Rate 90
Rent-to-Income Ratio 87
Employment & Wages 83.2
Unemployment Rate 86
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 89
Business Formation Rate 75
Income & Poverty 58.4
Poverty Rate 43
Income vs. State Median 79
Child Poverty Rate 53
Debt & Delinquency 38.0
Debt in Collections 36
Medical Debt 24
Student Loan Delinquency 30
Auto Loan Delinquency 35
Credit Card Delinquency 57
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 45
Community Vulnerability 20.2
Uninsured Rate 2
Disability Rate 38

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Bristol County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bristol County
Bristol County, MA 57.9 Elevated
Providence County, RI 58.4 Elevated +0.5
Barnstable County, MA 44.1 Normal -13.8
Newport County, RI 42.0 Normal -15.9
Plymouth County, MA 40.6 Normal -17.2
Norfolk County, MA 35.8 Normal -22.1
Dukes County, MA 35.3 Normal -22.6
Bristol County, RI 33.1 Healthy -24.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bristol County
Alachua County, FL 57.8 Elevated -0.0
Pinellas County, FL 57.7 Elevated -0.1
Lane County, OR 58.0 Elevated +0.2
Mobile County, AL 58.0 Elevated +0.2
Lake County, FL 58.1 Elevated +0.2

Download Data

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Find Help in Bristol County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Bristol County.

CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES - FALL RIVER
Fall River
Foreclosure PreventionMortgage HelpFinancial CounselingFinancial Counseling
NAVICORE SOLUTIONS - MANSFIELD, MA
Mansfield
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFinancial CounselingHome Improvement/Rehab
PRO-HOME, INC.
Taunton
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFinancial CounselingPre-Purchase

Find an Attorney

Massachusetts Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Bristol County residents at no cost.

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