Wisconsin County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 72 counties in Wisconsin, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 32.9. 2counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Wisconsin Snapshot
72 Counties Scored
32.9 Mean Score
30.9 Median Score
82.9 Menominee County Most Distressed
13.1 Calumet County Least Distressed
2 Most distressed fifth9 Middle fifth16 Second-least distressed fifth45 Least distressed fifth
Quintile Distribution Wisconsin County Map
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Least distressed fifth Second-least distressed fifth Middle fifth Second-most distressed fifth Most distressed fifth
All 72 Wisconsin counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Wisconsin's 72 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Wisconsin Counties
72 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80 | Menominee County | 82.9 | Most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 2 | 375 | Milwaukee County | 72.2 | Most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 3 | 1,304 | Adams County | 55.2 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 4 | 1,447 | Rusk County | 52.8 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 5 | 1,495 | Iron County | 51.7 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 6 | 1,505 | Kenosha County | 51.6 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 7 | 1,557 | Racine County | 50.8 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 8 | 1,689 | Forest County | 48.3 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 9 | 1,815 | Ashland County | 46.3 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 10 | 1,841 | Rock County | 45.8 | Middle fifth | Default & Legal |
| 11 | 1,876 | Sawyer County | 45.3 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 12 | 1,927 | Douglas County | 44.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 13 | 1,937 | Burnett County | 44.2 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 14 | 1,956 | Jackson County | 43.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 15 | 2,015 | Price County | 42.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 16 | 2,116 | Marinette County | 40.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 17 | 2,161 | Langlade County | 40.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 18 | 2,179 | Juneau County | 39.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 19 | 2,249 | Washburn County | 38.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 20 | 2,272 | Polk County | 38.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 21 | 2,301 | Crawford County | 37.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 22 | 2,368 | Marquette County | 36.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 23 | 2,374 | Vilas County | 36.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 24 | 2,387 | Waushara County | 35.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 25 | 2,427 | Bayfield County | 34.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 26 | 2,443 | Wood County | 34.4 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 27 | 2,491 | Barron County | 33.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 28 | 2,528 | Waupaca County | 32.4 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 29 | 2,531 | Pierce County | 32.3 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 30 | 2,547 | Richland County | 32.0 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 31 | 2,557 | Green Lake County | 31.9 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 32 | 2,561 | Monroe County | 31.7 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 33 | 2,562 | Oneida County | 31.6 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 34 | 2,579 | Lincoln County | 31.4 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 35 | 2,580 | Shawano County | 31.4 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 36 | 2,599 | Florence County | 31.0 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 37 | 2,611 | Taylor County | 30.8 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 38 | 2,656 | Sauk County | 29.7 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 39 | 2,657 | Walworth County | 29.7 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 40 | 2,667 | Dunn County | 29.4 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 41 | 2,674 | Winnebago County | 29.2 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 42 | 2,698 | Grant County | 28.4 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 43 | 2,706 | Oconto County | 28.3 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 44 | 2,713 | Brown County | 28.2 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 45 | 2,721 | Dane County | 28.0 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 46 | 2,728 | Chippewa County | 27.7 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 47 | 2,740 | Fond du Lac County | 27.3 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 48 | 2,760 | St. Croix County | 26.9 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 49 | 2,771 | Marathon County | 26.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 50 | 2,774 | La Crosse County | 26.4 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 51 | 2,796 | Eau Claire County | 25.9 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 52 | 2,800 | Trempealeau County | 25.7 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 53 | 2,828 | Vernon County | 24.9 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 54 | 2,849 | Dodge County | 24.3 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 55 | 2,852 | Columbia County | 24.2 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 56 | 2,867 | Jefferson County | 23.8 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 57 | 2,873 | Sheboygan County | 23.6 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 58 | 2,875 | Door County | 23.6 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 59 | 2,876 | Portage County | 23.6 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 60 | 2,888 | Manitowoc County | 23.3 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 61 | 2,889 | Clark County | 23.3 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 62 | 2,917 | Buffalo County | 22.4 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 63 | 2,980 | Waukesha County | 20.1 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 64 | 2,992 | Outagamie County | 19.7 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 65 | 3,001 | Pepin County | 19.4 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 66 | 3,005 | Washington County | 19.1 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 67 | 3,020 | Lafayette County | 18.2 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 68 | 3,042 | Kewaunee County | 16.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 69 | 3,043 | Iowa County | 16.5 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 70 | 3,065 | Green County | 15.5 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 71 | 3,072 | Ozaukee County | 15.3 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 72 | 3,105 | Calumet County | 13.1 | 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.
Most distressed fifth — 2 Wisconsin counties
Second-most distressed fifth — 0 Wisconsin counties
Middle fifth — 9 Wisconsin counties
Second-least distressed fifth — 16 Wisconsin counties
Least distressed fifth — 45 Wisconsin counties