County Data

Rhode Island County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 5 counties in Rhode Island, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 40.8.

Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26

Rhode Island Snapshot

5 Counties Scored
40.8 Mean Score
35.8 Median Score
59.9 Providence County Most Distressed
30.2 Bristol County Least Distressed
1 Elevated 2 Normal 2 Healthy
Zone Distribution

Rhode Island County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 5 Rhode Island counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Most & Least Distressed

Most Distressed

#1 Providence County
59.9 Elevated
Consumer Credit Distress
#2 Kent County
46.1 Normal
Housing Cost Burden
#3 Newport County
35.8 Normal
Housing Cost Burden

Least Distressed

#5 Bristol County
30.2 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden
#4 Washington County
31.8 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden
#3 Newport County
35.8 Normal
Housing Cost Burden

Score Distribution

How Rhode Island's 5 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.

All Rhode Island Counties

5 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.

State Rank Nat'l Rank County Score Zone Primary Driver
1 951 Providence County 59.9 Elevated Consumer Credit Distress
2 1,832 Kent County 46.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
3 2,431 Newport County 35.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
4 2,658 Washington County 31.8 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
5 2,748 Bristol County 30.2 Healthy Housing Cost Burden

How County Scores Work

Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.

Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties

Full CDI methodology and data sources

Rhode Island Resources

Rhode Island State Profile

State ADI score: 50.2 (Normal). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for Rhode Island.

Find Help in Rhode Island

HUD-approved housing counselors, legal aid offices, credit counselors, and debtor education providers in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in Rhode Island.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare Rhode Island to the rest of the country.

National County Profiles

All 3,144 U.S. counties ranked by financial distress score.
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