Foreclosure Rate: Represents the number of foreclosures filed for every X housing units during the month of June 2010. A foreclosure is a legal procedure by which mortgaged property is sold, upon default, in order to satisfy a debt. Foreclosures generally are governed by state law, and rules may vary between states.
Foreclosure Rate Rank: 1=largest foreclosure rate
Data in table reflect foreclosure rates as reported by RealtyTrac as of June 2010. Comprehensive foreclosure data may not have been available for all geographic areas in all states at the time of analysis, but data represent the best available measure of foreclosure rates that is comparable across the states. For more information, contact RealtyTrac at http://www.realtytrac.com/ContentManagement/pressrelease.aspx?ChannelID=9&ItemID=5420&accnt=64847.
Change in Monthly Unemployment Rate: Represents the percentage point change in the monthly unemployment rate for June 2009 compared to June 2010. The latest monthly unemployment data are available on statehealthfacts.org at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=23&cat=1. Unemployment Change Rank: 1=largest increase in unemployment rate
Change in Monthly Food Stamp Participation: Represents the percent change in the monthly numbers of people participating in the food stamp program for April 2009 compared to April 2010. Data for April 2010 are preliminary. US total includes territories. The latest monthly food stamp program data are available on statehealthfacts.org at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=651&cat=1&sub=7&yr=1&typ=1&sort=1387&o=d
Food Stamp Change Rank: 1=largest increase in participation
Average Rank: Represents the rank of the average rank for each state across all three measures. 1=most distress across measures | 
