Queens County, New York
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Queens County. Population: 2,252,196 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Queens County, NY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 53.3 — 1346th 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 12th of 62 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Queens 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
Debt & Delinquency
Income & Poverty
Community Vulnerability
How Queens County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queens County, NY | 53.3 | Elevated | — |
| Bronx County, NY | 77.7 | Serious Stress | +24.4 |
| Kings County, NY | 56.8 | Elevated | +3.4 |
| Richmond County, NY | 47.1 | Normal | -6.2 |
| New York County, NY | 39.3 | Normal | -14.1 |
| Monmouth County, NJ | 35.9 | Normal | -17.4 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 53.7 | Elevated | +0.4 |
| Palm Beach County, FL | 54.5 | Elevated | +1.2 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 54.6 | Elevated | +1.2 |
| Franklin County, OH | 51.8 | Elevated | -1.6 |
| Cook County, IL | 50.8 | Elevated | -2.6 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Queens County as a CSV file.
Resources
Queens 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 Queens County, New York?
Queens County has a County Distress Index score of 53.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,346th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 12th in New York out of 62 counties.
What drives financial distress in Queens County?
The primary driver of distress in Queens County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 91.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Queens County compare to neighboring counties?
Queens County (53.3) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Bronx County, NY (77.7); Kings County, NY (56.8); 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 Queens County?
Queens County, New York has a population of approximately 2,252,196 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.