25 Cities Where People Are Struggling the Most Financially

In addition to the health consequences and death it's caused, COVID-19 has triggered financial devastation, with nearly 13 million people still unemployed. In addition, 69% of Americans say it would be "somewhat difficult" or "very difficult" to meet financial obligations if their paycheck was delayed just a week, according to a WalletHub study. With Congress still unable to agree on a new relief package, WalletHub looked at some of the biggest U.S. cities to compare such things as bankruptcy filings between June and a year earlier; average credit scores of residents; and how many people had accounts in forbearance or with payments deferred, coming up with rankings of where urban residents are holding their own or struggling to stay afloat. Here are the 25 big cities where people are the worst-off, leading up to the most financially distressed of them all.

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Average credit score: 663 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 41.5%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Up 3.53%

Related: States With the Highest and Lowest Credit Scores

Average credit score: 656 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 48%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 9.79%

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Average credit score: 662 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 38.14%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 6.12%

Average credit score: 639 (poor) 
Accounts in distress: 42.47%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 9.61%

Average credit score: 679 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 46.97%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 15.03%

Average credit score: 683 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 45.79%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 9.62%

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Average credit score: 642 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 37.74%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 20.45%

Average credit score: 638 (poor)
Accounts in distress: 35.92%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 13.47%

Average credit score: 656 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 51.39%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 9.95%

Average credit score: 668 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 34.9%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 11.5%

Average credit score: 691 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 63.69%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 6.27%

Average credit score: 687 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 60.46%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 13.29%

Average credit score: 707 (good)
Accounts in distress: 52.68%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 6.11%

Average credit score: 727 (good)
Accounts in distress: 42.73%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 19.02%

Average credit score: 629 (poor)
Accounts in distress: 48.18%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 18.74%

Average credit score: 649 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 42.69%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 7.78%

Average credit score: 726 (good)
Accounts in distress: 58.6%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 9.2%

Average credit score: 698 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 54.65%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 5.35%

Average credit score: 670 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 47.33%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 10.61%

Average credit score: 647 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 34.17%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 6.12%

Average credit score: 661 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 41.79%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 8.45%

Average credit score: 637 (poor) 
Accounts in distress: 48.83%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 15.27%

Average credit score: 649 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 56.77%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 17.96%

Average credit score: 646 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 38.9%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 13.46%

Average credit score: 648 (fair)
Accounts in distress: 46.92%
Change in bankruptcy filings: Down 9.79%

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