The Squeeze Index
How financially squeezed is each region? Combining rent delinquency, food insufficiency, and expense difficulty into a single pressure score.
The Squeeze Index measures how financially pressured each region is — combining rent burden, food insecurity, and expense difficulty into a single A-F grade. It's the answer to 'how hard is it to get by here?'
Division Rankings
Higher scores mean more financial squeeze. Grades: A (least squeezed) to F (most squeezed).
Squeeze Breakdown by Division
Middle Atlantic
NJ, NY, PA — Most squeezed
South Atlantic
DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV — Above average squeeze
Pacific
AK, CA, HI, OR, WA — Above average squeeze
East South Central
AL, KY, MS, TN — Above average squeeze
New England
CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT — Above average squeeze
West North Central
IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD — Average
East North Central
IL, IN, MI, OH, WI — Average
West South Central
AR, LA, OK, TX — Average
Mountain
AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY — Average
All Divisions
| Division↑ | Grade | Score | Rent Behind | Food Insuff. | Expense Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East North Central | C | 59.2 | 2.19% | 6.9% | 82.67% |
| East South Central | D | 63.7 | 4.04% | 8.12% | 75.58% |
| Middle Atlantic | F | 98.2 | 21.23% | 9.46% | 82.94% |
| Mountain | C | 51.3 | 1.61% | 5.32% | 79.02% |
| New England | D | 62.9 | 5.19% | 6.97% | 79.43% |
| Pacific | D | 65.6 | 6.23% | 7.47% | 77.51% |
| South Atlantic | D | 79.1 | 15.11% | 7.17% | 79.26% |
| West North Central | C | 60.7 | 5.32% | 5.39% | 87.71% |
| West South Central | C | 52.7 | 2.47% | 5.3% | 79.21% |
How the Squeeze Index Works
The Squeeze Index measures financial pressure by combining three indicators from Census HTOPS data. Each metric is normalized to a 0–100 scale relative to the worst division, then averaged.
See the Methodology page for full details on data sources and computation.