Cuyahoga County, Ohio
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Cuyahoga County. Population: 1,233,088 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Cuyahoga County, OH registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 53.7 — 1313th 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 Ohio, it ranks 36th of 88 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Cuyahoga 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 DriverDebt & Delinquency
Income & Poverty
Community Vulnerability
Employment & Wages
How Cuyahoga County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 53.7 | Elevated | — |
| Summit County, OH | 49.0 | Normal | -4.8 |
| Portage County, OH | 48.3 | Normal | -5.4 |
| Lorain County, OH | 47.5 | Normal | -6.3 |
| Lake County, OH | 42.1 | Normal | -11.6 |
| Medina County, OH | 26.9 | Healthy | -26.9 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queens County, NY | 53.3 | Elevated | -0.4 |
| Palm Beach County, FL | 54.5 | Elevated | +0.8 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 54.6 | Elevated | +0.9 |
| Franklin County, OH | 51.8 | Elevated | -1.9 |
| Riverside County, CA | 56.0 | Elevated | +2.3 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Cuyahoga County as a CSV file.
Resources
Cuyahoga 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 Cuyahoga County, Ohio?
Cuyahoga County has a County Distress Index score of 53.7 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,313th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 36th in Ohio out of 88 counties.
What drives financial distress in Cuyahoga County?
The primary driver of distress in Cuyahoga County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 78.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Cuyahoga County compare to neighboring counties?
Cuyahoga County (53.7) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Summit County, OH (49.0); Portage County, OH (48.3); Lorain County, OH (47.5).
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 Cuyahoga County?
Cuyahoga County, Ohio has a population of approximately 1,233,088 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.