In Atlantic County, New Jersey, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Atlantic County, 30.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Atlantic County's score
In Atlantic County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 97.5. Jobs come next, at 73.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Atlantic County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Atlantic County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($74,693, 2024) and people below the poverty line (11.1%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 97.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent30.6% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.5% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 73.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.3% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 66.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.4% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people226.4 · 202581st percentile
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- 60.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.2% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 35.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,693 · 202429th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Atlantic County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Atlantic County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Atlantic County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Atlantic County had its largest rise, from 16.6% in 2004 to 22.0% in 2009.
In Atlantic County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 25.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Atlantic County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Atlantic County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.7% in 2012 to 11.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Atlantic County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 12.2%
Low on the chart: 5.8% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Atlantic County, New Jersey.
How Atlantic County has changed
Atlantic County's population rose by more than half to 279,114, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 221,589. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Atlantic County, New Jersey.
The number of jobs located in Atlantic County had its largest rise in the last span, from 108,186 in 2020 to 125,225 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Atlantic County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 146,494 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Atlantic County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 6.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,751 | 2024 $74,693 |
The table uses 6.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Atlantic County's history
1997
A flash flood in August 1997 did $54 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 274,549. The 2020 Census counted 274,534, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Lightning in September 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $13.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
36 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Atlantic County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Atlantic County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Atlantic County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Atlantic County ranks 2nd of the seven; Cumberland County is highest, at 31.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County, NJ | 92 | 14.2% | 31.2% |
| Atlantic County, NJ | 77 | 11.1% | 25.0% |
| Camden County, NJ | 70 | 11.4% | 22.2% |
| Ocean County, NJ | 44 | 9.1% | 24.4% |
| Cape May County, NJ | 43 | 9.8% | 24.7% |
| Gloucester County, NJ | 42 | 7.1% | 18.9% |
| Burlington County, NJ | 34 | 5.5% | 17.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Atlantic County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Atlantic County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 7th highest of 21 in New Jersey (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Hudson County, at 14.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Atlantic County ranks 4th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Atlantic County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Navicore Solutions- Hammonton, NJ
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of New Jersey
Legal aid
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New Jersey county bar lawyer referral services (NJSBA list)
Lawyer referral
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Atlantic County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Atlantic County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.