Rhode Island County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 5 counties in Rhode Island, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 32.7.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Rhode Island Snapshot
5 Counties Scored
32.7 Mean Score
28.1 Median Score
56.1 Providence County Most Distressed
21.0 Bristol County Least Distressed
1 moderate county distress1 low-moderate county distress3 low county distress
Score Label Distribution Rhode Island County Map
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Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 5 Rhode Island counties colored by county distress score range. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
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 | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,246 | Providence County | 56.1 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 2 | 2,337 | Kent County | 36.2 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 3 | 2,698 | Newport County | 28.1 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 4 | 2,909 | Washington County | 22.0 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 5 | 2,938 | Bristol County | 21.0 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
extreme county distress — 0 Rhode Island counties
very high county distress — 0 Rhode Island counties
high county distress — 0 Rhode Island counties
moderate-high county distress — 0 Rhode Island counties
moderate county distress — 1 Rhode Island county
moderate-low county distress — 0 Rhode Island counties
low-moderate county distress — 1 Rhode Island county
low county distress — 3 Rhode Island counties
very low county distress — 0 Rhode Island counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Rhode Island counties