Bronx County, New York

County Distress Index: Serious · 79.7 | 1,356,476 people · 1st most distressed in New York
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The Bronx is the most distressed county in New York State and the 21st most distressed in the country. Score: 77.7. Serious zone. Every domain except Community Vulnerability registers above the 67th percentile. Income & Poverty hits 97.2. Poverty rate: 27.7%. Child poverty: 35.5%. Median household income barely two-thirds of the state median. This is not a county with an isolated pressure point. It's a county where distress is the baseline condition. The housing numbers are the most extreme in the dataset. Rent-to-income ratio: 74.5% — the 100th percentile. No county in America has a worse ratio. Only 20.3% of residents own homes, also near the 100th percentile for distress. More than a third of renters spend over 50% of their income on housing. Student loan delinquency: 24.0%, 92nd percentile. Credit card delinquency: 10.4%, 95.8th. Unemployment runs at 7.4%, nearly double the national average. The data doesn't describe a county under financial pressure. It describes a county where the financial system was never designed to work. Manhattan is one bridge south. Score: 39.3, Normal. Nassau County, two bridges east: 29.3, Healthy. The 48-point gap between the Bronx and Nassau is among the steepest distress gradients in the country, compressed into fewer than 30 miles of the same metropolitan economy.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five statistically derived factors of household financial distress, PCA-weighted. Bronx County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 97.1 — worse than roughly 97% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 97.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 99
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 99
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 84
Homeownership Rate 99
Structural Poverty 89.4
Unemployment Rate 97
Poverty Rate 97
Income vs. State Median 99
Child Poverty Rate 96
Disability Rate 56
Transfer Income Dependency 89
Economic Vitality 80.9
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 99
Rent-to-Income Ratio 99
Business Formation Rate 36
House Price Change (YoY) 20
Consumer Credit Distress 73.5
Debt in Collections 77
Medical Debt 7
Auto Loan Delinquency 88
Credit Card Delinquency 96
Uninsured Rate 43
Subprime Credit Population 95
Legal Distress 47.5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 47

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.

Neighbors and Peers

Neighboring Counties

CountyScoreZonevs. Bronx County
Bronx County, NY 79.7 Serious —
Queens County, NY 55.8 Elevated -23.8
Bergen County, NJ 41.3 Normal -38.4
Westchester County, NY 41.0 Normal -38.7
New York County, NY 40.4 Normal -39.3
Nassau County, NY 36.0 Normal -43.6

Population Peers

CountyScoreZonevs. Bronx County
Duval County, FL 77.4 Serious -2.3
Clark County, NV 76.5 Serious -3.2
Wayne County, MI 76.2 Serious -3.5
Orange County, FL 73.9 Serious -5.8
Dallas County, TX 73.7 Serious -6.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Bronx County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Bronx County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Bronx County.

NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES OF NEW YORK CITY BRONX BRANCH
BRONX
929-268-3790 Website
Foreclosure PreventionPre-PurchaseHomebuyer Education
THE BRONX NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES CDC, INC.
BRONX
718-881-1180 Website
Foreclosure PreventionMortgage HelpHome Improvement/RehabPost-Purchase

See all counselors in New York →

Find an Attorney

New York State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

New York State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-342-3661

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Bronx County residents at no cost.

Legal Services NYC 1-917-661-4500
Legal Aid Society 1-212-577-3300
Empire Justice Center 1-585-454-4060
Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York 1-800-462-2922
Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, Inc. (877) 777-6152
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (585) 325-2520
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (877) 574-8529
Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee, Inc. (631) 232-2400
Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (716) 847-0650

Self-Help Resources

NYCourts.gov Foreclosure Help Official court system page with information about the foreclosure process, settlement conferences, and available resources. Includes court forms and instructions for pro se litigants.
LawHelp NY — Foreclosure Resources Comprehensive self-help legal information portal for New York residents. Includes foreclosure guides, court form generators, and legal services finder organized by county.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in New York →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Bronx County, New York?

    Bronx County has a County Distress Index score of 79.7 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 70th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 1st in New York out of 62 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bronx County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bronx County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 97.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Bronx County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bronx County (79.7) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Queens County, NY (55.8); Bergen County, NJ (41.3); Westchester County, NY (41.0).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses PCA-weighted percentile scoring across five statistically derived factors: Consumer Credit Distress (47.5%), Housing Cost Burden (22.3%), Structural Poverty (13.6%), Economic Vitality (9.2%), and Legal Distress (7.4%). Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • How often is the CDI updated?

    Annually, aligned to Census American Community Survey and Urban Institute Debt in America release windows — the slowest-moving source inputs. Between annual refreshes, faster-cadence indicators (BLS unemployment, QCEW wages) may drive light mid-year updates if a specific component moves meaningfully. Current data compiled April 14, 2026; next full refresh early 2027.

  • What does the Serious zone mean?

    The CDI divides counties into five zones: Healthy (below 46), Normal (46–55), Elevated (55–71), Serious (71–86), and Crisis (86 and above). Bronx County's score of 79.7 sits in the Serious zone (71–86).

  • What data sources power Bronx County's CDI score?

    Bronx County's CDI score draws on Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax credit-bureau panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS, QCEW), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Every number on this page traces to one of these public sources.

  • What is the population of Bronx County?

    Bronx County, New York has a population of approximately 1,356,476 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.