About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Cortland County, New York, have a job
In Cortland County, 17.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 71% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cortland County's score
In Cortland County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 65.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 37.3. About one in 22 people (4.5%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 86% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cortland 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, Cortland County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.9%, 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 rent26.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202738th percentile
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- 50.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.3% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
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- 47.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.5% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 37.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.4% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people91.8 · 202531st percentile
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- 37.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability14.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.5% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,551 · 202436th 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 Cortland 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 Cortland County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cortland County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cortland County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Cortland County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cortland County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 10.1% in 2009 to 13.1% in 2011, 1.5 points each year.
The share of households in Cortland County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 15.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2010, reaching 11.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cortland County, New York.
How Cortland County has changed
Cortland County's population rose most sharply from its first year (45,554 in 1969) to 47,673 in 1974.
Cortland County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 7% since
High on the chart: 49,628 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cortland County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Cortland County had its largest drop, from 18,254 in 2015 to 16,588 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Cortland County fell 15% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 19,414 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cortland County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,157 | 2024 $71,551 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Cortland County's history
1808
Formed April 8, 1808, from the southern half of Onondaga County. Wikipedia
1992
Smith Corona typewriters manufactured 1960-1992. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $5.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flash flood in April 2005 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 49,336. The 2020 Census counted 46,809, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1975
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cortland County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cortland County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Cortland County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cortland County ranks 3rd of the eight; Chenango County is highest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broome County, NY | 60 | 15.9% | 26.4% |
| Cortland County, NY | 45 | 14.7% | 26.3% |
| Onondaga County, NY | 44 | 12.5% | 21.3% |
| Chenango County, NY | 42 | 12.1% | 27.7% |
| Tioga County, NY | 41 | 10.8% | 25.0% |
| Madison County, NY | 39 | 10.7% | 23.4% |
| Cayuga County, NY | 36 | 13.5% | 25.3% |
| 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 Cortland County the poorest county in New York?
No, Cortland County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 17th 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, Cortland County ranks 29th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cortland 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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Legal Aid Society of Mid-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 Cortland 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 Cortland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.