Wisconsin County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 72 counties in Wisconsin, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 26.8. 1 county scores high, very high, or extreme.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Wisconsin Snapshot
72 Counties Scored
26.8 Mean Score
24.2 Median Score
76.5 Menominee County Most Distressed
11.3 Calumet County Least Distressed
1 high county distress1 moderate-high county distress6 moderate-low county distress10 low-moderate county distress37 low county distress17 very low county distress
Score Label Distribution Wisconsin County Map
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Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 72 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin's 72 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Wisconsin Counties
72 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 242 | Menominee County | 76.5 | high county distress | Delinquency |
| 2 | 656 | Milwaukee County | 67.2 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 3 | 1,600 | Adams County | 49.7 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 4 | 1,720 | Iron County | 47.7 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 5 | 1,799 | Kenosha County | 46.3 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 6 | 1,871 | Rusk County | 45.1 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 7 | 1,937 | Racine County | 43.9 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 8 | 2,144 | Rock County | 40.0 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 9 | 2,297 | Forest County | 36.9 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 10 | 2,308 | Douglas County | 36.7 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 11 | 2,341 | Burnett County | 36.0 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 12 | 2,393 | Jackson County | 35.0 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 13 | 2,397 | Sawyer County | 34.9 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 14 | 2,410 | Price County | 34.7 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 15 | 2,472 | Marinette County | 33.3 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 16 | 2,490 | Ashland County | 33.0 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 17 | 2,538 | Langlade County | 31.9 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 18 | 2,563 | Juneau County | 31.4 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 19 | 2,633 | Crawford County | 29.7 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 20 | 2,657 | Monroe County | 29.0 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 21 | 2,669 | Waushara County | 28.6 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 22 | 2,681 | Green Lake County | 28.3 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 23 | 2,690 | Washburn County | 28.2 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 24 | 2,702 | Waupaca County | 28.0 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 25 | 2,706 | Marquette County | 27.9 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 26 | 2,722 | Polk County | 27.5 | low county distress | Labor |
| 27 | 2,723 | Wood County | 27.4 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 28 | 2,739 | Walworth County | 27.0 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 29 | 2,749 | Richland County | 26.5 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 30 | 2,765 | Dane County | 26.1 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 31 | 2,785 | Winnebago County | 25.5 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 32 | 2,798 | Shawano County | 25.2 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 33 | 2,803 | Sauk County | 25.1 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 34 | 2,817 | Pierce County | 24.8 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 35 | 2,825 | Grant County | 24.6 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 36 | 2,840 | Brown County | 24.2 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 37 | 2,849 | Barron County | 24.1 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 38 | 2,850 | Bayfield County | 24.0 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 39 | 2,853 | La Crosse County | 23.9 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 40 | 2,862 | Fond du Lac County | 23.5 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 41 | 2,866 | Vilas County | 23.4 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 42 | 2,867 | Marathon County | 23.4 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 43 | 2,870 | Dunn County | 23.1 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 2,874 | Lincoln County | 23.0 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 45 | 2,888 | Eau Claire County | 22.7 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 46 | 2,907 | Oneida County | 22.1 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 47 | 2,927 | Vernon County | 21.5 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 48 | 2,930 | Dodge County | 21.4 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 49 | 2,944 | Clark County | 20.8 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 50 | 2,953 | Sheboygan County | 20.6 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 51 | 2,960 | Jefferson County | 20.3 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 52 | 2,963 | Columbia County | 20.2 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 53 | 2,964 | Florence County | 20.1 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 54 | 2,965 | Taylor County | 20.1 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 55 | 2,971 | Oconto County | 20.0 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 56 | 2,984 | Manitowoc County | 19.7 | very low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 57 | 2,993 | St. Croix County | 19.5 | very low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 58 | 3,005 | Trempealeau County | 19.2 | very low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 59 | 3,012 | Portage County | 18.8 | very low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 60 | 3,016 | Chippewa County | 18.2 | very low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 61 | 3,030 | Waukesha County | 17.1 | very low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 62 | 3,036 | Lafayette County | 16.8 | very low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 63 | 3,050 | Outagamie County | 16.2 | very low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 64 | 3,061 | Washington County | 15.6 | very low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 65 | 3,062 | Buffalo County | 15.5 | very low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 66 | 3,064 | Pepin County | 15.4 | very low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 67 | 3,083 | Door County | 14.2 | very low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 68 | 3,088 | Green County | 13.8 | very low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 69 | 3,090 | Kewaunee County | 13.7 | very low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 70 | 3,105 | Iowa County | 13.1 | very low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 71 | 3,113 | Ozaukee County | 12.5 | very low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 72 | 3,123 | Calumet County | 11.3 | very 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 Wisconsin counties
very high county distress — 0 Wisconsin counties
high county distress — 1 Wisconsin county
moderate-high county distress — 1 Wisconsin county
moderate county distress — 0 Wisconsin counties
moderate-low county distress — 6 Wisconsin counties
low-moderate county distress — 10 Wisconsin counties
low county distress — 37 Wisconsin counties
very low county distress — 17 Wisconsin counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Wisconsin counties