Money Matters - Cities with the Most People in Financial Distress

 As inflation continues to make it harder for Americans to manage payments on loans and lines of credit, WalletHub has released its latest report on the Cities with the Most People in Financial Distress. This report highlights where financial struggles are most severe across the country.

WalletHub analyzed the 100 largest cities without data limitations using nine key metrics. These include factors such as the average credit score, the change in bankruptcy filings between December 2023 and December 2024, and the share of people with accounts in distress.
 

Most Distressed	Least Distressed
1. Houston, TX	91. Chandler, AZ
2. Atlanta, GA	92. Oakland, CA
3. Jacksonville, FL	93. Jersey City, NJ
4. Dallas, TX	94. Honolulu, HI
5. Charlotte, NC	95. Wichita, KS
6. Orlando, FL	96. Stockton, CA
7. San Antonio, TX	97. Fremont, CA
8. Tampa, FL	98. Scottsdale, AZ
9. Miami, FL	99. Fort Wayne, IN
10. Austin, TX	100. Anchorage, AK

 

 
“Getting out of the downward spiral of financial distress is no easy feat. You may get temporary relief from your lenders by not having to make payments, but all the while interest will keep building up, making the debt even harder to pay off. People who find themselves in financial distress should budget carefully, cut non-essential expenses, and pursue strategies like debt consolidation or debt management to get their situation under control.”
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“It seems that in the Space City, people’s financial security is also blowing away. Houston has a high share of the population with accounts in distress compared to most other cities, at over 9% between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024, and it also has a high number of accounts in distress per person. Financial distress may increase further, too, as Houston has some of the highest Google search interest in the country for terms like ‘debt’ and ‘loans,’ which indicates that people need to borrow even more.”

- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst  


More From WalletHub

• States with the Most People in Financial Distress
• States Adding the Most Personal Loan Debt
• States With Largest and Smallest Credit Card Debt Increases
• States Where Auto Loan Debt Is Increasing the Most
• States Where Credit Card Delinquency Is Increasing the Most
• States Where Credit Limits Decreased the Most