Massachusetts County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 14 counties in Massachusetts, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 46.9. 2counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Massachusetts Snapshot
Massachusetts County Map
Loading interactive map…
All 14 Massachusetts counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Massachusetts's 14 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Massachusetts Counties
14 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 460 | Hampden County | 70.2 | Most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 2 | 1,118 | Bristol County | 58.5 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 3 | 1,456 | Suffolk County | 52.5 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 4 | 1,527 | Berkshire County | 51.4 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 5 | 1,593 | Essex County | 50.1 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 6 | 1,637 | Worcester County | 49.3 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 7 | 1,669 | Franklin County | 48.7 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 8 | 1,811 | Plymouth County | 46.3 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 1,818 | Barnstable County | 46.2 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 10 | 2,201 | Nantucket County | 39.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 11 | 2,220 | Dukes County | 39.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 12 | 2,279 | Hampshire County | 37.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 13 | 2,424 | Norfolk County | 34.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 14 | 2,507 | Middlesex County | 32.8 | Second-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.