County Data

New Jersey County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 21 counties in New Jersey, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 51.9. 5counties are in Serious or Crisis.

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

New Jersey Snapshot

21 Counties Scored
51.9 Mean Score
49.4 Median Score
78.8 Cumberland County Most Distressed
26.3 Hunterdon County Least Distressed
5 Serious 5 Elevated 8 Normal 3 Healthy
Zone Distribution

New Jersey County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 21 New Jersey counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Most & Least Distressed

Most Distressed

#1 Cumberland County
78.8 Serious
Housing Cost Burden
#2 Essex County
72.2 Serious
Housing Cost Burden
#3 Passaic County
68.0 Serious
Housing Cost Burden

Least Distressed

#21 Hunterdon County
26.3 Healthy
Economic Vitality
#20 Morris County
27.4 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden
#19 Somerset County
33.7 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden

Score Distribution

How New Jersey's 21 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.

All New Jersey Counties

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

State Rank Nat'l Rank County Score Zone Primary Driver
1 87 Cumberland County 78.8 Serious Housing Cost Burden
2 305 Essex County 72.2 Serious Housing Cost Burden
3 495 Passaic County 68.0 Serious Housing Cost Burden
4 531 Camden County 67.3 Serious Housing Cost Burden
5 554 Atlantic County 66.9 Serious Housing Cost Burden
6 652 Salem County 64.8 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
7 862 Hudson County 61.3 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
8 1,024 Union County 58.9 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
9 1,251 Mercer County 55.4 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
10 1,405 Gloucester County 53.0 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
11 1,615 Burlington County 49.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
12 1,755 Ocean County 47.3 Normal Housing Cost Burden
13 1,761 Cape May County 47.3 Normal Housing Cost Burden
14 1,849 Middlesex County 46.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden
15 1,967 Warren County 43.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
16 2,078 Sussex County 41.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
17 2,103 Bergen County 41.3 Normal Housing Cost Burden
18 2,235 Monmouth County 39.3 Normal Housing Cost Burden
19 2,549 Somerset County 33.7 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
20 2,870 Morris County 27.4 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
21 2,919 Hunterdon County 26.3 Healthy Economic Vitality

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

New Jersey Resources

New Jersey State Profile

State ADI score: 52.7 (Normal). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for New Jersey.

Find Help in New Jersey

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

New Jersey Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in New Jersey.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare New Jersey 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.