In Passaic County, New Jersey, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in three dollars of the typical household's income
In Passaic County, 32.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Passaic County's score
In Passaic County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 98.0. Jobs come next, at 70.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Passaic 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.
Passaic County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (9.6%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($85,224, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 98.0 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 rent30.5% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income32.1% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
-
- 70.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
-
- 57.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.6% · second quarter of 202647th percentile
-
- 52.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.1% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people145.5 · 202558th percentile
-
- 38.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability9.6% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,224 · 202414th percentile
-
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 Passaic 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 Passaic County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Passaic County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Passaic 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 Passaic 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
The share of households in Passaic County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 10.2% in 2011 to 14.8% in 2013, 2.3 points each year.
The share of households in Passaic County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 19.0%
High on the chart: 19.8% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Passaic County, New Jersey.
How Passaic County has changed
Passaic County's population had its largest rise, from 456,332 in 1989 to 478,164 in 1994.
Passaic County's population rose 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 526,597 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Passaic County, New Jersey.
The number of jobs located in Passaic County had its largest rise in the last span, from 149,946 in 2020 to 174,268 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Passaic County fell 7% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 149,946 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Passaic County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,259 | 2024 $85,224 |
The table uses 6.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Passaic County's history
1996
A flash flood in July 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $6 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A thunderstorm in May 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 524,118, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1965
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Passaic County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Passaic County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Passaic County, in New Jersey and New York, one scores higher. Of the group, Passaic County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (22.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, NJ | 82 | 13.4% | 16.3% |
| Passaic County, NJ | 72 | 12.1% | 22.2% |
| Orange County, NY | 54 | 12.0% | 20.2% |
| Rockland County, NY | 39 | 15.2% | 18.5% |
| Sussex County, NJ | 28 | 5.2% | 16.8% |
| Bergen County, NJ | 25 | 6.7% | 11.1% |
| 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 Passaic County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Passaic County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 5th 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, Passaic County ranks 5th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Passaic 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.
-
Paterson Task Force for Community Action, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Legal Services of New Jersey
Legal aid
-
New Jersey county bar lawyer referral services (NJSBA list)
Lawyer referral
-
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 Passaic 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 Passaic County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.