Kings County, New York
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Kings County. Population: 2,561,225 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Kings County, NY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.8 — 1089th 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 York, it ranks 7th of 62 counties. Among its 4 neighboring counties, 3 show less distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Kings County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverEmployment & Wages
Income & Poverty
Debt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
How Kings County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings County, NY | 56.8 | Elevated | — |
| Hudson County, NJ | 60.2 | Elevated | +3.4 |
| Queens County, NY | 53.3 | Elevated | -3.4 |
| Richmond County, NY | 47.1 | Normal | -9.6 |
| New York County, NY | 39.3 | Normal | -17.5 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarrant County, TX | 56.6 | Elevated | -0.2 |
| Pima County, AZ | 56.3 | Elevated | -0.5 |
| Riverside County, CA | 56.0 | Elevated | -0.7 |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | 57.5 | Elevated | +0.7 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 54.6 | Elevated | -2.2 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Kings County as a CSV file.
Resources
Kings County scores in the Elevated zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Kings County, New York?
Kings County has a County Distress Index score of 56.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,089th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 7th in New York out of 62 counties.
What drives financial distress in Kings County?
The primary driver of distress in Kings County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 90.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Kings County compare to neighboring counties?
Kings County (56.8) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Hudson County, NJ (60.2); Queens County, NY (53.3); Richmond County, NY (47.1).
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 Kings County?
Kings County, New York has a population of approximately 2,561,225 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.