Strafford County, New Hampshire

County Distress Index: Normal · 45.1 | 133,243 people · 4th most distressed in New Hampshire
American Default Research

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Strafford County, NH falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 45.1 — 1976th 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 New Hampshire, it ranks 4th of 10 counties. It scores higher than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Strafford County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 88.1 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 88.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 85
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 81
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 99
Homeownership Rate 80
Rent-to-Income Ratio 97
Employment & Wages 54.5
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 97
Business Formation Rate 59
Debt & Delinquency 31.2
Debt in Collections 36
Medical Debt 37
Student Loan Delinquency 35
Auto Loan Delinquency 32
Credit Card Delinquency 35
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 13
Community Vulnerability 27.6
Uninsured Rate 27
Disability Rate 28
Income & Poverty 24.1
Poverty Rate 15
Income vs. State Median 48
Child Poverty Rate 9

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Strafford County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Strafford County
Strafford County, NH 45.1 Normal —
Belknap County, NH 42.6 Normal -2.5
Carroll County, NH 39.7 Normal -5.4
Merrimack County, NH 36.6 Normal -8.5
York County, ME 35.7 Normal -9.4
Rockingham County, NH 30.4 Healthy -14.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Strafford County
Lonoke County, AR 45.1 Normal +0.0
Paulding County, GA 45.1 Normal +0.0
Kootenai County, ID 45.1 Normal -0.0
Wagoner County, OK 45.2 Normal +0.1
Black Hawk County, IA 45.0 Normal -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Strafford County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Strafford County

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

New Hampshire Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service 603-229-0002

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Strafford County residents at no cost.

New Hampshire Legal Assistance 1-800-639-5290
603 Legal Aid 1-800-639-5290

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Strafford County, New Hampshire?

    Strafford County has a County Distress Index score of 45.1 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,976th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 4th in New Hampshire out of 10 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Strafford County?

    The primary driver of distress in Strafford County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 88.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Strafford County compare to neighboring counties?

    Strafford County (45.1) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Belknap County, NH (42.6); Carroll County, NH (39.7); Merrimack County, NH (36.6).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Strafford County?

    Strafford County, New Hampshire has a population of approximately 133,243 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.