In Camden County, New Jersey, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Camden County, 24.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Camden County's score
In Camden County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 85.0. About one in four renters (26.0%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 89% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 65.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Camden 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.
Camden County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($91,411, 2024) and people below the poverty line (11.4%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.0 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 income24.4% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 65.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.2% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people212.3 · 202577th percentile
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- 64.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.2% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 61.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 32.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.4% · 202434th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.5% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$91,411 · 20249th 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 Camden 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 Camden County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Camden County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Camden County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Camden County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Camden County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 13.3%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 9.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Camden County, New Jersey.
How Camden County has changed
Camden County's population had its largest rise, from 451,124 in 1969 to 472,958 in 1974.
Camden County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 533,988, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 473,135. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Camden County, New Jersey.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Camden County rose 3% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 208,622 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Camden County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.1% | 2024 11.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,271 | 2024 $91,411 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Camden County's history
1989
A thunderstorm in November 1989 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A thunderstorm in November 1994 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 523,485, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Camden County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Camden County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Camden County, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Camden County ranks 3rd of the five; 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% |
| 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 Camden County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Camden County's poverty rate was 11.4% in 2024, 6th 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, Camden County ranks 6th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Camden 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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CCCS of Delaware Valley, Inc. Dba Clarifi
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Parkside Business and Community in Partnership, Inc.
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 Camden 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 Camden County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.