Jefferson County, Wisconsin

County Distress Index: Healthy · 31.4 | 85,743 people · 54th most distressed in Wisconsin

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Jefferson County, WI ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 31.4 — 2836th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where housing costs consume a moderate share of household income. Within Wisconsin, it ranks 54th of 72 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Jefferson County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 50.5 — above the national median.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 50.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 42
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 51
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 91
Homeownership Rate 57
Rent-to-Income Ratio 10
Employment & Wages 50.0
Unemployment Rate 19
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 55
Business Formation Rate 76
Debt & Delinquency 27.4
Debt in Collections 18
Medical Debt 57
Student Loan Delinquency 6
Auto Loan Delinquency 25
Credit Card Delinquency 21
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 37
Income & Poverty 14.9
Poverty Rate 15
Income vs. State Median 20
Child Poverty Rate 10
Community Vulnerability 14.4
Uninsured Rate 13
Disability Rate 16

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Jefferson County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Jefferson County
Jefferson County, WI 31.4 Healthy
Rock County, WI 43.7 Normal +12.3
Walworth County, WI 35.1 Normal +3.6
Dane County, WI 31.7 Healthy +0.3
Dodge County, WI 28.5 Healthy -2.9
Waukesha County, WI 21.3 Healthy -10.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Jefferson County
Dubuque County, IA 31.5 Healthy +0.1
Chippewa County, WI 31.3 Healthy -0.1
Linn County, IA 31.7 Healthy +0.3
Queen Anne's County, MD 31.7 Healthy +0.3
Sherburne County, MN 31.1 Healthy -0.4

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