About one in 12 people in Warren County, New Jersey, lives below the poverty line
In Warren County, 8.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Warren County's score
In Warren County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 87.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 11.7. The typical household earns $94,865 a year (2024), more than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Warren 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, Warren County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.9%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.4 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 rent25.9% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.6% · fiscal year 202785th percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.9% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 39.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.4% · August 202524th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people136.6 · 202554th percentile
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- 24.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.7% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 11.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.2% · 20249th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.2% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$94,865 · 20247th 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 Warren 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 Warren County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Warren County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Warren County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Warren County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Warren County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.0% in 2012 to 6.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Warren County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 7.9%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 7.9% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Warren County, New Jersey.
How Warren County has changed
Warren County's population had its largest rise, from 101,040 in 1999 to 108,491 in 2004.
Warren County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 112,031, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 108,726. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Warren County, New Jersey.
The number of jobs located in Warren County had its largest rise, from 33,762 in 2000 to 38,376 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Warren County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 38,376 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Warren County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.3% | 2024 8.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $37,075 | 2024 $94,865 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Warren County's history
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in June 2006 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $12.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in September 2011 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 109,632, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Warren County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Warren County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Warren County, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Warren County ranks 3rd of the seven; Monroe County is highest, at 24.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, PA | 79 | 10.8% | 24.7% |
| Northampton County, PA | 40 | 8.8% | 20.4% |
| Warren County, NJ | 35 | 8.2% | 20.1% |
| Sussex County, NJ | 28 | 5.2% | 16.8% |
| Bucks County, PA | 12 | 6.1% | 14.5% |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 11 | 4.5% | 11.6% |
| 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 Warren County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Warren County's poverty rate was 8.2% in 2024, 13th 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, Warren County ranks 14th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Warren 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 Warren 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 Warren County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.