U.S. Financial Distress by State · Three of the Top Four Are on the Gulf
Kansas scores 55.0, the highest in the country. What follows is the surprise: Louisiana 53.9, Florida 52.0 and Texas 49.9 take second through fourth, so three of the four most strained states sit on the Gulf Coast. Wealth does not protect a household either - California lands at 46.8, eighth. At the other end, Maine 14.8, Rhode Island 20.1 and Hawaii 21.1 are the calmest. The spread from top to bottom is close to four times.
Why this matters for B2B
Financial strain and clearance demand move together. The states carrying the most household stress are the same ones where a buyer walks in for a $15 fan rather than a $76 one - and our own market, the Texas and Louisiana Gulf, is right at the top of that list. That argues for depth in low-ticket, immediate-use goods over premium lines, and it explains why an open-door clearance floor works here. Read alongside household debt-to-income by state, money left after bills, housing cost burden, and our U.S. market hub.
Source: WalletHub (financial distress ranking, data collected 17 June 2026), as published by Visual Capitalist. Chart above built by Cube-Age from the published figures; the original infographic is not reproduced.