About one in seven people with a credit file in Franklin County, Massachusetts, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Franklin County, 14.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin County's score
In Franklin County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 94.0. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 20.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Franklin County: 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, Franklin County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (30.3%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.3% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 48.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 29.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.2% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability17.5% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- People without health insurance2.1% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,594 · 202429th percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.8% · second quarter of 202615th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.2% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people79.1 · 202525th 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 Franklin County 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 Franklin County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Franklin County
Massachusetts
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Franklin County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Franklin County, Massachusetts, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 17.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2021 to 2022, reaching 15.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Franklin County, Massachusetts.
How Franklin County has changed
Franklin County's population had its largest rise, from 63,823 in 1984 to 69,658 in 1989.
Franklin County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 70,871
High on the chart: 71,875 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Franklin County, Massachusetts.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County had its largest rise, from 24,528 in 1995 to 27,577 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 27,577 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Franklin County, Massachusetts.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 10.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,738 | 2024 $74,594 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Franklin County's history
1996
A flash flood in June 1996 did $1.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 71,535. The 2020 Census counted 71,029, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2004
A thunderstorm in June 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flash flood in July 2005 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $22 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1985
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Franklin County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Franklin County, in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, one scores higher. Of the group, Franklin County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire County, MA | 43 | 11.3% | 27.1% |
| Franklin County, MA | 37 | 10.2% | 28.5% |
| Worcester County, MA | 37 | 9.6% | 18.8% |
| Bennington County, VT | 35 | 9.9% | 22.9% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 23 | 12.3% | 18.7% |
| Windham County, VT | 20 | 11.4% | 25.7% |
| Cheshire County, NH | 19 | 8.2% | 20.6% |
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 Franklin County the poorest county in Massachusetts?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 10.2% in 2024, 5th highest of 14 in Massachusetts (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Hampden County, at 16.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Franklin County ranks 5th of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Franklin County
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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Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Legal Aid
Legal aid
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MassLegalHelp.org
Legal help website
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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 Franklin County · 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 Franklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.