In Albany County, New York, benefit checks make up only 17 cents of every dollar of income
In Albany County, 16.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Albany County's score
In Albany County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 85.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 23.8. About one in 31 people (3.2%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Albany 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, Albany County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.6 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 rent25.0% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th 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 collector19.1% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people116.2 · 202544th percentile
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- 36.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.8% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 27.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.7% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 23.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.4% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance3.2% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,237 · 202418th 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 Albany 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 Albany County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Albany County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Albany County had its largest rise, from 11.2% in 1974 to 14.4% in 1979.
In Albany County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 16.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Albany County, New York, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Albany County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.7% in 2010 to 8.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Albany County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.0%
High on the chart: 11.6% 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, Albany County, New York.
How Albany County has changed
Albany County's population rose 12% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 300,262. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Albany County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Albany County rose 6% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 235,826 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Albany County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,283 | 2024 $81,237 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Albany County's history
1989
A tornado in July 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in April 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in August 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 314,848, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1987
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Albany County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Albany County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Albany County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Albany County ranks 5th of the six; Schoharie County is highest, at 26.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schenectady County, NY | 50 | 12.6% | 22.3% |
| Schoharie County, NY | 49 | 13.2% | 26.6% |
| Albany County, NY | 37 | 12.6% | 16.7% |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 34 | 11.2% | 21.4% |
| Greene County, NY | 32 | 11.3% | 23.9% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 8 | 7.1% | 14.3% |
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 Albany County the poorest county in New York?
No, Albany County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 34th highest of 62 in New York (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bronx County, at 28.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Albany County ranks 42nd of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Albany 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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Affordable Housing Partnership
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Albany County Rural Housing Alliance, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
Legal aid
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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 Albany 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 Albany County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.