About one in 10 people in Middlesex County, New Jersey, has a disability
In Middlesex County, 10.0% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Middlesex County's score
In Middlesex County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 82.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 14.4. The typical household earns $113,828 a year (2024), more than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Middlesex 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, Middlesex County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (27.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.5 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 rent22.0% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.7% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 52.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
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- 36.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.9% · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people136.4 · 202554th percentile
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- 31.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.3% · second quarter of 202616th percentile
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- 14.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.3% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.5% · 202410th percentile
- People with a disability10.0% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$113,828 · 20242nd 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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex County, 16.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Middlesex County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Middlesex County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 11.3% in 2004 to 14.4% in 2009.
In Middlesex County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 14.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Middlesex County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Middlesex County getting SNAP food aid rose most in three steps: 3.4% in 2011 to 4.1% in 2012; 4.1% in 2012 to 4.8% in 2013; 7.0% in 2022 to 7.7% in 2023.
The share of households in Middlesex County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 7.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2012 to 2013, reaching 4.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
How Middlesex County has changed
Middlesex County's population had its largest rise, from 622,126 in 1984 to 669,365 in 1989.
Middlesex County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 890,119, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 594,566. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Middlesex County rose by about a quarter to 431,665, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 393,646. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.6% | 2024 8.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $41,896 | 2024 $113,828 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Middlesex County's history
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $28 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flash flood in July 2005 did $10.3 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 863,162, 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
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Middlesex County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Middlesex County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Middlesex County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Middlesex County ranks 2nd of the five; Mercer County is highest, at 14.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, NJ | 56 | 9.7% | 13.5% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 50 | 10.0% | 14.9% |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 38 | 8.3% | 14.3% |
| Monmouth County, NJ | 23 | 6.9% | 13.3% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 18 | 5.8% | 8.7% |
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 Middlesex County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Middlesex County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 12th 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, Middlesex County ranks 13th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Middlesex 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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Puerto Rican Action Board, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Puerto Rican Association for Human Development, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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The Housing Authority of the City of Perth Amboy
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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.