In Salem County, New Jersey, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Salem County, 27.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Salem County's score
In Salem County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 92.8. About three in ten renters (27.8%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 82.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Salem 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.
Salem County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.7%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($81,009, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.8 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 rent27.8% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.6% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 82.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
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- 65.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.5% · August 202551st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people220.4 · 202579th percentile
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- 58.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.6% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 36.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,009 · 202419th 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 Salem 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 Salem County, 19.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Salem County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Salem County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 27.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Salem County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Salem County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.0% in 2009 to 7.5% in 2010.
The share of households in Salem County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.5%
High on the chart: 13.4% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Salem County, New Jersey.
How Salem County has changed
Salem County's population had its largest rise, from 59,364 in 1969 to 62,487 in 1974.
Salem County's population rose 11% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 66,183 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Salem County, New Jersey.
The number of jobs located in Salem County had its largest rise in the last span, from 19,553 in 2020 to 22,148 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Salem County fell 4% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 19,553 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Salem County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 6.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,887 | 2024 $81,009 |
The table uses 6.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Salem County's history
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in April 2007 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 66,083. The 2020 Census counted 64,837, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $10 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in June 2012 did $1 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Salem County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Salem County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Salem County, in New Jersey and Delaware, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Salem County ranks 2nd of the four; Cumberland County is highest, at 31.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County, NJ | 92 | 14.2% | 31.2% |
| Salem County, NJ | 78 | 12.4% | 27.4% |
| New Castle County, DE | 58 | 10.3% | 19.5% |
| Gloucester County, NJ | 42 | 7.1% | 18.9% |
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 Salem County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Salem County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 4th 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, Salem County ranks 3rd of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Salem 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.
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 Salem County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.