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 median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 75% 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. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 32.1% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 98% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 70.7.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Passaic County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 98.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income32.1% · fiscal year 202798th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent30.5% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
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- 70.7 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202686th percentile
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- 64.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.4% · Q4 202569th percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.1% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people145.5 · 202558th percentile
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- 38.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability9.6% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,224 · 202414th percentile
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Passaic County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Passaic County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Passaic County in 2024, pay from work was 64 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 22 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Passaic County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 22 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Passaic County, New Jersey: 22.2% and 63.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 22.2% of all personal income in Passaic County, New Jersey (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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.
How Passaic County has changed
The number of people living in Passaic County grew by about 14% between 1969 and 2024, from 460,958 to 526,597. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.4% in 1990 to 6.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 460,958 | 2024 526,597 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 186,578 | 2024 170,830 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $31,259 | 2024 $85,224 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 7.6% | 2024 22.2% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Passaic County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 524,118, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1996
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Flash flood: $6 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Passaic County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 84 | 13.4% | 16.3% |
| Passaic County, NJ | 75 | 12.1% | 22.2% |
| Orange County, NY | 56 | 12.0% | 20.2% |
| Rockland County, NY | 41 | 15.2% | 18.5% |
| Sussex County, NJ | 29 | 5.2% | 16.8% |
| Bergen County, NJ | 26 | 6.7% | 11.1% |
| Morris County, NJ | 8 | 4.7% | 9.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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.
Passaic County in photographs
Places in Passaic County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Oldest rocks in New Jersey, Wanaque Tonalite Gneiss, 1.37 billion years old, Losee Gneiss Complex, Back Beach Park, Passaic County, New Jersey, on display at the New Jersey State Museum in.
Oldest rocks in New Jersey, Wanaque Tonalite Gneiss, 1.37 billion years old, Losee Gneiss Complex, Back Beach Park, Passaic County, New Jersey, on display at the New Jersey State Museum in.
Passaic County, New Jersey: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Passaic County, New Jersey?
12.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 18.4%.
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.
What is the population of Passaic County, New Jersey?
About 526,597 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 524,118, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Passaic County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Housing Authority of the City of Paterson
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Paterson Task Force for Community Action, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of New Jersey
Legal aid
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New Jersey State Bar Foundation — Lawyer Referral Service
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- 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.