About one in seven people with a credit file in Columbia County, New York, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Columbia County, 13.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Columbia County's score
In Columbia County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 79.6. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 14.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Columbia 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, Columbia County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.6 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 rent27.3% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
-
- 45.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202632nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.0% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
-
- 27.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.8% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance3.4% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,397 · 202419th percentile
-
- 21.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.4% · second quarter of 202614th percentile
-
- 14.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.5% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.8 · 202516th 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County, 26.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Columbia County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Columbia County had its largest rise, from 13.8% in 1989 to 17.8% in 1994.
In Columbia County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Columbia County, New York, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Columbia County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.6% in 2011 to 7.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Columbia County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 9.7%
Low on the chart: 5.9% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Columbia County, New York.
How Columbia County has changed
Columbia County's population rose 18% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 63,646 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Columbia County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Columbia County rose 17% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 21,577 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Columbia County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.5% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,246 | 2024 $80,397 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Columbia County's history
1710
Palatine German refugees resettled at Livingston Manor in 1710 for indentured labor to make naval stores. Wikipedia
1995
A tornado in May 1995 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in April 2007 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in July 2009 did $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 63,096. The 2020 Census counted 61,570, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
Lightning in July 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Columbia County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Columbia County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Columbia County, in New York and Massachusetts, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Columbia County ranks 5th of the six; Berkshire County is highest, at 27.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ulster County, NY | 47 | 12.7% | 22.9% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 43 | 11.3% | 27.1% |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 34 | 11.2% | 21.4% |
| Dutchess County, NY | 32 | 8.4% | 18.9% |
| Greene County, NY | 32 | 11.3% | 23.9% |
| Columbia County, NY | 28 | 11.1% | 20.8% |
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 Columbia County the poorest county in New York?
No, Columbia County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 49th 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, Columbia County ranks 53rd of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Columbia 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.
-
Galvan Housing Resources, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
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 Columbia 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 Columbia County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.