Franklin County, Ohio
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Franklin County. Population: 1,326,063 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Franklin County, OH registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 51.8 — 1464th 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 40th of 88 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Franklin 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 Franklin County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, OH | 51.8 | Elevated | — |
| Pickaway County, OH | 50.5 | Elevated | -1.3 |
| Madison County, OH | 43.9 | Normal | -7.9 |
| Licking County, OH | 43.5 | Normal | -8.3 |
| Fairfield County, OH | 41.9 | Normal | -9.9 |
| Union County, OH | 21.2 | Healthy | -30.6 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County, IL | 50.8 | Elevated | -1.0 |
| Queens County, NY | 53.3 | Elevated | +1.6 |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 50.1 | Elevated | -1.7 |
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 53.7 | Elevated | +1.9 |
| Sacramento County, CA | 49.6 | Normal | -2.2 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Franklin County as a CSV file.
Resources
Franklin 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 Franklin County, Ohio?
Franklin County has a County Distress Index score of 51.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,464th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 40th in Ohio out of 88 counties.
What drives financial distress in Franklin County?
The primary driver of distress in Franklin County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 79.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Franklin County compare to neighboring counties?
Franklin County (51.8) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Pickaway County, OH (50.5); Madison County, OH (43.9); Licking County, OH (43.5).
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 Franklin County?
Franklin County, Ohio has a population of approximately 1,326,063 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.