Unemployment in Allegany County, New York, is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties
In Allegany County, 5.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Allegany County's score
In Allegany County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 67.5. Housing costs come next, at 60.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Allegany 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.
Allegany County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (70.7, 2025) and people without health insurance (5.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202679th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
-
- 60.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
-
- 55.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.8% · 202459th percentile
- People with a disability16.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,154 · 202467th percentile
-
- 44.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.2% · second quarter of 202646th percentile
-
- 34.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people70.7 · 202519th percentile
-
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 Allegany 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 Allegany County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Allegany County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Allegany County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Allegany County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Allegany County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.5% in 2009 to 13.9% in 2010.
The share of households in Allegany County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a quarter from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.9%
High on the chart: 16.7% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Allegany County, New York.
How Allegany County has changed
Allegany County's population rose most sharply from its first year (46,301 in 1969) to 50,538 in 1974.
Allegany County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 52,348 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Allegany County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Allegany County had its largest drop, from 13,681 in 2015 to 12,219 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Allegany County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990, after reaching its lowest on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 12,219 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Allegany County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,625 | 2024 $61,154 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Allegany County's history
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 51,742. The 2020 Census counted 46,456, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in August 2003 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in August 2003 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in April 2011 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1967
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Allegany County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Allegany County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Allegany County, in New York and Pennsylvania, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Allegany County ranks 2nd of the seven; Potter County is highest, at 32.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattaraugus County, NY | 59 | 18.7% | 30.5% |
| McKean County, PA | 57 | 14.3% | 30.8% |
| Allegany County, NY | 53 | 16.4% | 31.9% |
| Potter County, PA | 43 | 13.9% | 32.8% |
| Steuben County, NY | 42 | 14.5% | 26.6% |
| Livingston County, NY | 28 | 9.9% | 25.4% |
| Wyoming County, NY | 11 | 11.4% | 24.7% |
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 Allegany County the poorest county in New York?
No, Allegany County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 10th 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, Allegany County ranks 17th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Allegany 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.
-
Allegany County Community Opportunities and Rural Development (ACCORD) Corp.
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Legal Assistance of Western New York (LawNY)
Legal aid
-
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 Allegany 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 Allegany County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.