About one in 19 people in Sussex County, New Jersey, lives below the poverty line
In Sussex County, 5.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sussex County's score
In Sussex County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 79.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sussex 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, Sussex County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.4 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 rent24.6% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 40.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
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- 39.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.6% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people156.7 · 202562nd percentile
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- 22.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.0% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
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- 4.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.2% · 20240th percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.6% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance3.8% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$114,993 · 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 Sussex 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 Sussex County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sussex County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sussex County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Sussex County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sussex County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 2.7% in 2011 to 3.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Sussex County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 2.3% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sussex County, New Jersey.
How Sussex County has changed
Sussex County's population had its largest rise, from 75,367 in 1969 to 95,974 in 1974.
Sussex County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 147,444
High on the chart: 149,906 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sussex County, New Jersey.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sussex County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 38,705, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
High on the chart: 41,405 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sussex County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 3.1% | 2024 5.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $45,760 | 2024 $114,993 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Sussex County's history
1997
A thunderstorm in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in August 2000 did $166.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Heavy rain in August 2003 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 149,265. The 2020 Census counted 144,221, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $12.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sussex County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sussex County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Sussex County, in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sussex County ranks 6th of the seven; Monroe County is highest, at 24.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | 79 | 10.8% | 24.7% |
| Passaic County, NJ | 72 | 12.1% | 22.2% |
| Pike County, PA | 60 | 9.9% | 23.7% |
| Orange County, NY | 54 | 12.0% | 20.2% |
| Warren County, NJ | 35 | 8.2% | 20.1% |
| Sussex County, NJ | 28 | 5.2% | 16.8% |
| 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 Sussex County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Sussex County's poverty rate was 5.2% in 2024, 19th 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, Sussex County ranks 16th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sussex 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.
Download the CSV for Sussex 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 Sussex County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.