In Erie County, New York, benefit checks make up only 22 cents of every dollar of income
In Erie County, 22.1% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 71% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Erie County's score
In Erie County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 81.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 31.2. About one in 34 people (2.9%, 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 Erie 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, Erie County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.6 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 rent25.9% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 46.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 37.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.1% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people102.8 · 202537th percentile
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- 35.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.0% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
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- 31.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance2.9% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,040 · 202433rd 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 Erie 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 Erie County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Erie County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Erie County rose most in two steps: 8.7% in 1969 to 11.9% in 1974; 19.2% in 2004 to 22.4% in 2009.
In Erie County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Erie County, New York, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Erie County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 11.8% in 2010 to 13.0% in 2011; 14.0% in 2012 to 15.2% in 2013.
The share of households in Erie County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.5%
High on the chart: 16.3% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Erie County, New York.
How Erie County has changed
Erie County's population had its largest drop, from 1,033,071 in 1979 to 979,204 in 1984.
Erie County's population fell 14% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 1,108,780 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Erie County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Erie County rose 4% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 464,902 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Erie County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.0% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,226 | 2024 $73,040 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Erie County's history
1821
Created in 1821 from Niagara County, encompassing land between Tonawanda Creek and Cattaraugus Creek. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 1,113,491. The 2020 Census counted 954,236, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
1987
A tornado in July 1987 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flash flood in August 2009 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Erie County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Erie County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Erie County, three score higher. Of the group, Erie County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Chautauqua County gets the largest, at 31.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chautauqua County, NY | 62 | 18.7% | 31.8% |
| Cattaraugus County, NY | 59 | 18.7% | 30.5% |
| Niagara County, NY | 54 | 13.2% | 25.8% |
| Erie County, NY | 44 | 12.8% | 22.1% |
| Genesee County, NY | 19 | 9.9% | 25.4% |
| 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 Erie County the poorest county in New York?
No, Erie County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 30th 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, Erie County ranks 32nd of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Erie 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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Belmont Housing Resources for Wny, Incorporated
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Buffalo Urban League, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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NSC (NACA Counseling Subsidiary) - Buffalo, NY
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborhood Legal Services
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.
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 Erie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.