In Chemung County, New York, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Chemung County, 24.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Chemung County's score
In Chemung County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 88.2. About three in ten renters (29.4%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 96% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 62.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chemung 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.
Chemung County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.1%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (92.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.2 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 rent29.4% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.3% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 62.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.9% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.4% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 46.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.2% · 202458th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,441 · 202450th percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.5% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.2 · 202532nd 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 Chemung 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 Chemung County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Chemung County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Chemung County rose most in two steps: 10.3% in 1969 to 13.9% in 1974; 20.1% in 1999 to 23.7% in 2004.
In Chemung County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Chemung County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Chemung County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2022 high, from 15.7% in 2021 to 16.9% in 2022.
The share of households in Chemung County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16.5%
High on the chart: 16.9% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Chemung County, New York.
How Chemung County has changed
Chemung County's population fell by about a fifth to 81,115, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1979 to 1984, reaching 93,190. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chemung County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Chemung County fell 16% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 41,592 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chemung County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 14.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,487 | 2024 $66,441 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Chemung County's history
1836
Formed from 520 square miles of Tioga County in 1836. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 101,537. The 2020 Census counted 84,148, 83% of the peak. Census Bureau
1970
Manufacturing decline in the 1970s: Ann Page, American Bridge, General Electric, American LaFrance, Westinghouse, and Remington Rand closed or moved. Wikipedia
1972
1972 flood destroyed downtown businesses and replaced by urban renewal projects. Wikipedia
1983
A tornado in May 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $17.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in November 1996 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in July 2012 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chemung County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Chemung County beside its neighbors
Chemung County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in New York and Pennsylvania. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chemung County ranks 3rd of the seven; Tioga County is highest, at 31.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemung County, NY | 62 | 14.2% | 29.2% |
| Schuyler County, NY | 45 | 15.3% | 30.7% |
| Steuben County, NY | 42 | 14.5% | 26.6% |
| Tioga County, NY | 41 | 10.8% | 25.0% |
| Bradford County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 28.5% |
| Tioga County, PA | 35 | 11.4% | 31.0% |
| Tompkins County, NY | 31 | 17.3% | 18.3% |
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 Chemung County the poorest county in New York?
No, Chemung County's poverty rate was 14.2% in 2024, 20th 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, Chemung County ranks 7th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Chemung 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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Catholic Charities, Elmira, NY
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Assistance of Western New York (LawNY)
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 Chemung 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 Chemung County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.