In Mercer County, New Jersey, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Mercer County, 26.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mercer County's score
In Mercer County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 86.5. Jobs come next, at 54.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mercer 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.
Mercer County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($102,760, 2024) and people with a disability (10.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.5 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 rent24.4% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.2% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
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- 54.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.3% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 44.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.6% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124.2 · 202549th percentile
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- 43.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.6% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 22.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.0% · 202422nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.3% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability10.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance7.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$102,760 · 20244th 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County, 16.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mercer County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mercer County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 14.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Mercer County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.9%; 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 Mercer County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 9.3%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2012 to 2013, reaching 8.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mercer County, New Jersey.
How Mercer County has changed
Mercer County's population rose 28% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 326,246. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mercer County, New Jersey.
The number of jobs located in Mercer County had its largest rise in the last span, from 246,676 in 2020 to 261,312 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Mercer County rose 29% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 261,312 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mercer County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.0% | 2024 10.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $37,160 | 2024 $102,760 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Mercer County's history
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $32 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in June 2006 did $8.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $75 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 387,340, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 did $50 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mercer County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mercer County beside its neighbors
Mercer County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mercer County ranks 2nd of the seven; Burlington County is highest, at 17.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County, NJ | 50 | 10.0% | 14.9% |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 38 | 8.3% | 14.3% |
| Burlington County, NJ | 34 | 5.5% | 17.0% |
| Monmouth County, NJ | 23 | 6.9% | 13.3% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 18 | 5.8% | 8.7% |
| Bucks County, PA | 12 | 6.1% | 14.5% |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 11 | 4.5% | 11.6% |
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 Mercer County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Mercer County's poverty rate was 10.0% in 2024, 8th 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, Mercer County ranks 9th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mercer 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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Isles, Incorporated
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 Mercer 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 Mercer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.