Maine County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 16 counties in Maine, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 42.9. 3counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Maine Snapshot
Maine County Map
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All 16 Maine counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Maine's 16 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Maine Counties
16 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,006 | Washington County | 60.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 2 | 1,134 | Piscataquis County | 58.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 3 | 1,235 | Somerset County | 56.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 4 | 1,306 | Aroostook County | 55.1 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 5 | 1,539 | Androscoggin County | 51.2 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 6 | 1,629 | Oxford County | 49.4 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 7 | 1,765 | Waldo County | 47.1 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 8 | 1,800 | Penobscot County | 46.5 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 1,852 | Franklin County | 45.6 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 10 | 2,173 | Hancock County | 39.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 11 | 2,216 | Kennebec County | 39.2 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 12 | 2,542 | Knox County | 32.1 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 13 | 2,710 | Lincoln County | 28.2 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 14 | 2,722 | York County | 28.0 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 15 | 2,827 | Sagadahoc County | 24.9 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 16 | 2,862 | Cumberland County | 23.9 | Least distressed fifth | 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.