About one in 18 people in Burlington County, New Jersey, lives below the poverty line
In Burlington County, 5.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Burlington County's score
In Burlington County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 70.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 5.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Burlington 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, Burlington County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.7 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 rent25.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.0% · fiscal year 202753rd percentile
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- 49.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.4% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people171.4 · 202567th percentile
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- 40.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 38.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.5% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 5.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.5% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.5% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability11.8% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$106,525 · 20243rd 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 Burlington 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 Burlington County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Burlington County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Burlington County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 17.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Burlington County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Burlington County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 2.9% in 2010 to 4.3% in 2012, 0.7 points each year.
The share of households in Burlington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 4.9%
Low on the chart: 2.9% 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, Burlington County, New Jersey.
How Burlington County has changed
Burlington County's population had its largest rise, from 420,542 in 1999 to 446,548 in 2004.
Burlington County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 475,515, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 447,391. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Burlington County, New Jersey.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Burlington County rose 41% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 214,267. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Burlington County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.4% | 2024 5.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $40,513 | 2024 $106,525 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Burlington County's history
1996
A thunderstorm in June 1996 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in August 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in July 2004 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 461,860, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Burlington County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Burlington County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Burlington County, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Burlington County ranks 5th of the eight; Philadelphia County is highest, at 27.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia County, PA | 91 | 19.7% | 27.6% |
| Atlantic County, NJ | 77 | 11.1% | 25.0% |
| Camden County, NJ | 70 | 11.4% | 22.2% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 50 | 10.0% | 14.9% |
| Ocean County, NJ | 44 | 9.1% | 24.4% |
| Burlington County, NJ | 34 | 5.5% | 17.0% |
| Monmouth County, NJ | 23 | 6.9% | 13.3% |
| Bucks County, PA | 12 | 6.1% | 14.5% |
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 Burlington County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Burlington County's poverty rate was 5.5% in 2024, 18th 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, Burlington County ranks 15th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Burlington 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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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 Burlington 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 Burlington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.