About one in nine people with a credit file in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Hampshire County, 11.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hampshire County's score
In Hampshire County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 93.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 7.2. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.0%, August 2025, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hampshire 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, Hampshire County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (29.5%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.0 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 rent26.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.5% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 39.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202657th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 19.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.6% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance1.7% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,817 · 202416th percentile
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- 12.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.4% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people68.3 · 202518th percentile
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- 7.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.2% · second quarter of 20265th 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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire County, 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hampshire County
Massachusetts
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hampshire County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 18.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Hampshire County, Massachusetts, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.7%; 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 Hampshire County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 12.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 12.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hampshire County, Massachusetts.
How Hampshire County has changed
Hampshire County's population had its largest rise, from 122,692 in 1969 to 133,796 in 1974.
Hampshire County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 165,399, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 162,319. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hampshire County, Massachusetts.
The number of jobs located in Hampshire County rose most sharply after its 1995 low, from 50,652 in 1995 to 55,749 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Hampshire County rose by about a quarter to 64,889, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 64,889 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hampshire County, Massachusetts.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.4% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,722 | 2024 $82,817 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Hampshire County's history
1999
A thunderstorm in July 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in April 2007 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Lightning in July 2014 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 162,308, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1985
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hampshire County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hampshire County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Hampshire County score higher than it does. Of the group, Hampshire County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Hampden County gets the largest, at 32.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampden County, MA | 76 | 16.0% | 32.2% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 43 | 11.3% | 27.1% |
| Franklin County, MA | 37 | 10.2% | 28.5% |
| Worcester County, MA | 37 | 9.6% | 18.8% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 23 | 12.3% | 18.7% |
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 Hampshire County the poorest county in Massachusetts?
No, Hampshire County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 3rd 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, Hampshire County ranks 10th of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hampshire 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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Valley Community Development Corporation
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 Hampshire 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 Hampshire County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.