About one in 10 people in Genesee County, New York, lives below the poverty line
In Genesee County, 9.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Genesee County's score
In Genesee County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 44.0. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 23.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 66.1 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Genesee 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.
Genesee County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 44.0 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 rent20.3% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.3% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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- 35.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.7% · second quarter of 202632nd percentile
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- 31.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 25.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.9% · 202421st percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance3.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,993 · 202433rd percentile
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- 23.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.8% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people66.1 · 202517th 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 Genesee 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 Genesee County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Genesee County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Genesee County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Genesee County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Genesee County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 9.3% in 2012 to 10.4% in 2013; 10.3% in 2014 to 11.4% in 2015.
The share of households in Genesee County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 13.6%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 8.9% 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, Genesee County, New York.
How Genesee County has changed
Genesee County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1994 high, from 59,823 in 1989 to 61,282 in 1994.
Genesee County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 61,282 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Genesee County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Genesee County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 23,357 in 2015 to 21,484 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Genesee County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 23,858 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Genesee County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.6% | 2024 9.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,534 | 2024 $72,993 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Genesee County's history
1802
Created in 1802 and organized in 1803. Wikipedia
1826
William Morgan disappearance 1826 sparked antimasonry movement. Wikipedia
1993
A tornado in September 1993 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 60,370. The 2020 Census counted 58,388, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2009
A tornado in July 2009 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Lightning in August 2016 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Genesee County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Genesee County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Genesee County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Genesee County ranks 4th of the seven; Orleans County is highest, at 29.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orleans County, NY | 55 | 10.8% | 29.3% |
| Niagara County, NY | 54 | 13.2% | 25.8% |
| Erie County, NY | 44 | 12.8% | 22.1% |
| Monroe County, NY | 43 | 14.1% | 22.6% |
| Livingston County, NY | 28 | 9.9% | 25.4% |
| 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 Genesee County the poorest county in New York?
No, Genesee County's poverty rate was 9.9% in 2024, 54th 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, Genesee County ranks 59th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Genesee 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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Pathstone Corporation- Batavia, 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.
Download the CSV for Genesee 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 Genesee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.