About one in 22 people in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, lives below the poverty line
In Hunterdon County, 4.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hunterdon County's score
In Hunterdon County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 1.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hunterdon 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, Hunterdon County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.0 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 rent25.7% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
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- 27.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.1% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 15.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.4% · August 20251st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people86.8 · 202529th percentile
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- 2.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.3% · August 20254th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.3% · August 20252nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.7% · second quarter of 20260th percentile
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- 1.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line4.5% · 20240th percentile
- Children below the poverty line3.7% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability9.3% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance2.8% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$136,956 · 20240th 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 Hunterdon 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 Hunterdon County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hunterdon County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hunterdon County had its largest rise, from 5.9% in 2004 to 8.5% in 2009.
In Hunterdon County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 11.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Hunterdon County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.6%; 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 Hunterdon County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 3.6%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 3.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
How Hunterdon County has changed
Hunterdon County's population doubled to 131,708, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 106,314. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Hunterdon County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 47,458, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 49,797 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.7% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 2.4% | 2024 4.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $51,597 | 2024 $136,956 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Hunterdon County's history
1989
A thunderstorm in March 1989 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in June 2006 did $7.5 million in property damage and killed one person. 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 128,947, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 did $5,000,000 in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hunterdon County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hunterdon County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Hunterdon County, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hunterdon County ranks 4th of the six; Warren County is highest, at 20.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County, NJ | 50 | 10.0% | 14.9% |
| Warren County, NJ | 35 | 8.2% | 20.1% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 18 | 5.8% | 8.7% |
| Bucks County, PA | 12 | 6.1% | 14.5% |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 11 | 4.5% | 11.6% |
| Morris County, NJ | 7 | 4.7% | 9.4% |
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 Hunterdon County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Hunterdon County's poverty rate was 4.5% in 2024, the lowest 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, Hunterdon County ranks 20th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hunterdon 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 Hunterdon 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 Hunterdon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.