Franklin County, Vermont

County Distress Index: Normal · 39.1 | 50,994 people · 7th most distressed in Vermont
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Franklin County, VT falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 39.1 — 2406th 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 Vermont, it ranks 7th of 14 counties. Among its 4 neighboring counties, 3 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Franklin County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 75.5 — worse than roughly 76% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 75.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 78
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 77
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 98
Homeownership Rate 29
Rent-to-Income Ratio 95
Employment & Wages 58.5
Unemployment Rate 16
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 97
Business Formation Rate 63
Community Vulnerability 23.6
Uninsured Rate 7
Disability Rate 40
Debt & Delinquency 20.0
Debt in Collections 24
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 29
Auto Loan Delinquency 24
Credit Card Delinquency 16
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 20
Income & Poverty 17.7
Poverty Rate 20
Income vs. State Median 20
Child Poverty Rate 13

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Franklin County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Franklin County
Franklin County, VT 39.1 Normal —
Orleans County, VT 50.4 Elevated +11.3
Grand Isle County, VT 38.6 Normal -0.4
Lamoille County, VT 33.0 Healthy -6.1
Chittenden County, VT 30.5 Healthy -8.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Franklin County
El Dorado County, CA 39.1 Normal +0.0
Bonneville County, ID 39.1 Normal +0.0
Spotsylvania County, VA 39.2 Normal +0.1
Boone County, MO 38.9 Normal -0.1
Grafton County, NH 39.2 Normal +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Franklin County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Franklin County

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Legal aid organizations serving Franklin County residents at no cost.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Franklin County, Vermont?

    Franklin County has a County Distress Index score of 39.1 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,406th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 7th in Vermont out of 14 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Franklin County?

    The primary driver of distress in Franklin County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 75.5 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 (39.1) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Orleans County, VT (50.4); Grand Isle County, VT (38.6); Lamoille County, VT (33.0).

  • 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, Vermont has a population of approximately 50,994 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.