About one in five people in Cattaraugus County, New York, lives below the poverty line
In Cattaraugus County, 18.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cattaraugus County's score
In Cattaraugus County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 72.6. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (26.0%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 78% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 65.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cattaraugus 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.
Cattaraugus County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (76.7, 2025) and people without health insurance (6.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
-
- 65.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.7% · 202482nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.5% · 202487th percentile
- People with a disability16.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,376 · 202466th percentile
-
- 59.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.3% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
-
- 48.6 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 rent19.3% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
-
- 36.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.1% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.7 · 202523rd 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 Cattaraugus 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 Cattaraugus County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cattaraugus County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cattaraugus County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Cattaraugus County, New York, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Cattaraugus County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 18.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2014 to 2015, reaching 17.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cattaraugus County, New York.
How Cattaraugus County has changed
Cattaraugus County's population had its largest drop, from 82,864 in 2004 to 80,491 in 2009.
Cattaraugus County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 85,508 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cattaraugus County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Cattaraugus County had its largest drop, from 29,368 in 2015 to 26,100 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Cattaraugus County fell 15% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 31,752 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cattaraugus County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 18.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,119 | 2024 $61,376 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Cattaraugus County's history
1808
Formed in 1808, split off from Genesee County. Wikipedia
1817
County government established in 1817. Wikipedia
1977
A tornado in September 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 85,697. The 2020 Census counted 77,042, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
2009
A flash flood in August 2009 did $45 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in July 2010 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in May 2014 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1967
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cattaraugus County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cattaraugus County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cattaraugus County, in New York and Pennsylvania, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cattaraugus County ranks 5th of the seven; Warren County is highest, at 33.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chautauqua County, NY | 62 | 18.7% | 31.8% |
| Cattaraugus County, NY | 59 | 18.7% | 30.5% |
| McKean County, PA | 57 | 14.3% | 30.8% |
| Allegany County, NY | 53 | 16.4% | 31.9% |
| Erie County, NY | 44 | 12.8% | 22.1% |
| Warren County, PA | 31 | 10.1% | 33.3% |
| 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 Cattaraugus County the poorest county in New York?
No, Cattaraugus County's poverty rate was 18.7% in 2024, 3rd 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, Cattaraugus County ranks 9th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cattaraugus 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.
-
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 Cattaraugus 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 Cattaraugus County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.