About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Clinton County, New York, have a job
In Clinton County, 17.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 67% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clinton County's score
In Clinton County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 65.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 40.4. About one in 32 people (3.1%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clinton 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, Clinton County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (7.5%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.0 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 rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 51.1 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 behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.9% · second quarter of 202632nd percentile
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- 45.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.9% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people125.5 · 202549th percentile
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- 44.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202656th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 40.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance3.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,302 · 202442nd 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 Clinton 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 Clinton County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clinton County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clinton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Clinton County, New York, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clinton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.3% in 2019 to 14.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Clinton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 16.9%
Low on the chart: 12.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clinton County, New York.
How Clinton County has changed
Clinton County's population rose most sharply from its first year (72,617 in 1969) to 79,859 in 1974.
Clinton County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1994 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 86,444 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clinton County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Clinton County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 34,584 in 2005 to 32,894 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Clinton County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 34,584 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clinton County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.1% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,027 | 2024 $69,302 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Clinton County's history
1788
Split off from Washington County in 1788. Wikipedia
1812
Battle of Plattsburgh in War of 1812, key American victory. Wikipedia
1990
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 85,969. The 2020 Census counted 79,843, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in November 1996 did $23 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in June 1998 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A flash flood in July 1998 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in August 2011 did $8.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clinton County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clinton County beside its neighbors
Clinton County scores higher than all four counties that border it, in New York and Vermont. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clinton County ranks 2nd of the five; Franklin County is highest, at 28.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton County, NY | 48 | 13.2% | 27.9% |
| Franklin County, NY | 47 | 18.0% | 28.1% |
| Essex County, NY | 33 | 11.6% | 26.1% |
| Grand Isle County, VT | 18 | 8.0% | 16.9% |
| Chittenden County, VT | 7 | 8.9% | 14.7% |
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 Clinton County the poorest county in New York?
No, Clinton County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 27th 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, Clinton County ranks 25th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clinton 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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Friends of the North Country
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 Clinton 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 Clinton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.