About one in 11 people in Bergen County, New Jersey, has a disability
In Bergen County, 8.9% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bergen County's score
In Bergen County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 78.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 8.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bergen 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.
Even so, Bergen County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.3 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 rent26.0% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.5% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 38.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.6% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 33.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.8% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people142 · 202556th percentile
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- 20.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.7% · second quarter of 20267th percentile
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- 8.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.7% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.3% · 20244th percentile
- People with a disability8.9% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$121,894 · 20241st 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 Bergen 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 Bergen County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bergen County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bergen County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 11.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Bergen County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bergen County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.4% in 2011 to 4.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Bergen County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5.3%
High on the chart: 5.3% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bergen County, New Jersey.
How Bergen County has changed
Bergen County's population had its largest rise, from 900,319 in 2009 to 933,701 in 2014.
Bergen County's population rose 10% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 978,641 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bergen County, New Jersey.
The number of jobs located in Bergen County had its largest drop, from 441,172 in 2015 to 397,549 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Bergen County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990, after reaching its lowest on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 397,549 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bergen County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 3.9% | 2024 6.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $46,039 | 2024 $121,894 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Bergen County's history
1917
Camp Merritt. Wikipedia
1917
Kingsland explosion. Wikipedia
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $17.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Lightning in July 2006 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A thunderstorm in June 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in March 2010 did $45.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 955,732, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bergen County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bergen County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Bergen County, in New Jersey and New York, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bergen County ranks 6th of the eight; Bronx County is highest, at 37.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx County, NY | 98 | 28.7% | 37.3% |
| Essex County, NJ | 82 | 13.4% | 16.3% |
| Passaic County, NJ | 72 | 12.1% | 22.2% |
| Hudson County, NJ | 61 | 14.7% | 13.3% |
| New York County, NY | 47 | 15.5% | 8.0% |
| Rockland County, NY | 39 | 15.2% | 18.5% |
| Westchester County, NY | 27 | 8.7% | 10.1% |
| Bergen County, NJ | 25 | 6.7% | 11.1% |
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 Bergen County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Bergen County's poverty rate was 6.7% in 2024, 16th 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, Bergen County ranks 17th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bergen 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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County of Bergen, Department of Human Services, Division of Senior Services
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Fair Housing Council of Northern New Jersey
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 Bergen 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 Bergen County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.