County Data

Delaware County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 3 counties in Delaware, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 60.4. 1county is in Serious or Crisis.

Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26

Delaware Snapshot

3 Counties Scored
60.4 Mean Score
61.7 Median Score
71.4 Kent County Most Distressed
48.0 Sussex County Least Distressed
1 Serious 1 Elevated 1 Normal
Zone Distribution

Delaware County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 3 Delaware counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Score Distribution

How Delaware's 3 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.

All Delaware Counties

3 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.

State Rank Nat'l Rank County Score Zone Primary Driver
1 338 Kent County 71.4 Serious Housing Cost Burden
2 840 New Castle County 61.7 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
3 1,707 Sussex County 48.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden

How County Scores Work

Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.

Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties

Full CDI methodology and data sources

Delaware Resources

Delaware State Profile

State ADI score: 62.4 (Elevated). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for Delaware.

Find Help in Delaware

HUD-approved housing counselors, legal aid offices, credit counselors, and debtor education providers in Delaware.

Delaware Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in Delaware.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare Delaware to the rest of the country.

National County Profiles

All 3,144 U.S. counties ranked by financial distress score.
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If you're struggling with debt or facing foreclosure, free help is available. Find help near you · Browse the Glossary · The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides HUD-approved housing counselors at no cost. You can also call 1-800-569-4287.