Unemployment in Fulton County, New York, is higher than in 66% of U.S. counties
In Fulton County, 4.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 66% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fulton County's score
In Fulton County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 65.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 199.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 74% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 54.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fulton 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.
Fulton County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.8%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.7% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people199.1 · 202574th percentile
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- 54.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.6% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 53.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.2% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 43.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance3.8% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,757 · 202450th percentile
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- 41.4 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th 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 Fulton 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 Fulton County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fulton County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Fulton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Fulton County, New York, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Fulton County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a fifth from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.4%, with most of the change between 2010 and 2011
High on the chart: 15.9% 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, Fulton County, New York.
How Fulton County has changed
Fulton County's population had its largest rise, from 52,509 in 1969 to 55,289 in 1974.
Fulton County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 56,192 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fulton County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Fulton County had its largest drop, from 16,998 in 2015 to 15,465 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Fulton County fell 7% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 17,705 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fulton County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.6% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.0% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,265 | 2024 $66,757 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Fulton County's history
1838
Formed April 18, 1838, by a partition of Montgomery County, resulting in a county of 550 square miles. Wikipedia
1998
A thunderstorm in September 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 55,531. The 2020 Census counted 53,324, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A thunderstorm in August 2016 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fulton County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fulton County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Fulton County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fulton County ranks 2nd of the five; Montgomery County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, NY | 75 | 15.5% | 32.5% |
| Herkimer County, NY | 57 | 14.6% | 28.7% |
| Fulton County, NY | 52 | 12.7% | 30.3% |
| Hamilton County, NY | 37 | 10.7% | 26.4% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 8 | 7.1% | 14.3% |
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 Fulton County the poorest county in New York?
No, Fulton County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 31st 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, Fulton County ranks 18th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fulton 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 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 Fulton 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 Fulton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.