Survey: Atlanta area still financially distressed

National level: 70.48

Most financially distressed metro area: Orlando, 59.71

Least financially distressed metro area: Washington, D.C., 76.78

Metro Atlanta: 66.76

* 70 is considered the distressed point

Source: CredAbility

A measure of Metro Atlanta’s financial distress improved modestly in the third quarter – compared to a slight worsening nationwide — but the local barometer continues to trail the nation’s, according to an Atlanta consumer help agency.

Shifts on the jobs front, including a bounce in folks working part-time who aspire for full-time employment and a rise in mortgage delinquency, weighed on the nation’s financial score in the third quarter, according to Atlanta-based CredAbility.

The U.S. score dipped to 70.48 from 71.25 in second quarter on CredAbility’s Consumer Distress Index. The 100-point index includes measures of employment, housing, credit, household budgeting and net worth. A score below 70 is considered distressed.

Still, the national score remained over 70 for the second straight quarter and is up nearly 4 points from third quarter a year ago.

Metro Atlanta’s score was 66.76 in third quarter, up from 66.4 in the period ended in June, and up more than 3 points vs. third quarter 2011.

Atlanta ranked 10th in financial distress among major metro areas, unchanged from a year ago.

Nationally, mortgage delinquency climbed a bit to 7.13 percent, compared to the second quarter, and Americans spent slightly more on their housing as a percentage of income.

The credit card delinquency rate and the number of bankruptcies in the third quarter both declined.

In metro Atlanta, improvements in mortgage delinquency and a relatively flat unemployment rate compared to the second quarter helped account for the region’s modest gains.

“I think the No. 1 concern remains jobs,” said Mark Cole, executive vice president at CredAbility. “We’ve just not been able to create jobs fast enough.”