Salem County, New Jersey

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.9 | 65,338 people · 7th most distressed in New Jersey

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Salem County, NJ registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.9 — 834th 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 Jersey, it ranks 7th of 21 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 4 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Salem County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 87.7 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 87.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 97
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 95
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 96
Homeownership Rate 65
Rent-to-Income Ratio 84
Employment & Wages 71.1
Unemployment Rate 92
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 86
Business Formation Rate 36
Debt & Delinquency 58.3
Debt in Collections 52
Medical Debt 25
Student Loan Delinquency 74
Auto Loan Delinquency 56
Credit Card Delinquency 64
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 80
Income & Poverty 47.4
Poverty Rate 25
Income vs. State Median 82
Child Poverty Rate 35
Community Vulnerability 35.1
Uninsured Rate 19
Disability Rate 51

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Salem County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Salem County
Salem County, NJ 59.9 Elevated
Cumberland County, NJ 74.9 Serious +15.0
Kent County, DE 61.4 Elevated +1.5
New Castle County, DE 49.5 Normal -10.5
Gloucester County, NJ 45.0 Normal -14.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Salem County
Tom Green County, TX 60.0 Elevated +0.0
Muskingum County, OH 59.9 Elevated -0.1
Mercer County, WV 59.9 Elevated -0.1
Pickens County, SC 59.8 Elevated -0.1
Craighead County, AR 60.0 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

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Find Help in Salem County

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

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Salem County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

NJ Courts Foreclosure Self-Help Center Official NJ Courts self-help guidance on foreclosure proceedings

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