Washington County, Rhode Island

County Distress Index: Normal · 35.1 | 129,982 people · 4th most distressed in Rhode Island

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Washington County, RI falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 35.1 — 2649th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Rhode Island, it ranks 4th of 5 counties. It scores lower than all 3 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Washington County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 68.0 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 68.0
Unemployment Rate 41
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 88
Business Formation Rate 75
Housing Cost Burden 66.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 80
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 80
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 91
Homeownership Rate 37
Rent-to-Income Ratio 43
Income & Poverty 24.4
Poverty Rate 13
Income vs. State Median 45
Child Poverty Rate 15
Debt & Delinquency 13.0
Debt in Collections 7
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 16
Auto Loan Delinquency 19
Credit Card Delinquency 10
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 19
Community Vulnerability 4.1
Uninsured Rate 0
Disability Rate 8

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Washington County compares to its 3 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Washington County
Washington County, RI 35.1 Normal
Kent County, RI 46.7 Normal +11.6
Newport County, RI 42.0 Normal +6.9
Suffolk County, NY 35.1 Normal +0.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Washington County
Walworth County, WI 35.1 Normal -0.0
Rockingham County, VA 35.2 Normal +0.1
James City County, VA 35.2 Normal +0.1
Dearborn County, IN 35.3 Normal +0.2
Kendall County, TX 34.8 Healthy -0.3

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