About one in 10 people with a credit file in Hamilton County, New York, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Hamilton County, 10.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hamilton County's score
In Hamilton County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 77.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 12.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hamilton 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, Hamilton County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.7% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 68.2 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 rent21.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
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- 31.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.7% · 202428th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.3% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance3.5% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,045 · 202443rd percentile
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- 25.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.5% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people118.1 · 202545th percentile
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- 12.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind0.9% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.8% · second quarter of 202621st 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County, 33.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hamilton County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hamilton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Hamilton County, New York, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hamilton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.6% in 2019 to 5.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Hamilton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 2.3% 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, Hamilton County, New York.
How Hamilton County has changed
Hamilton County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 5,325 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hamilton County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Hamilton County fell 8% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 1,889 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hamilton County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.9% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.5% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,121 | 2024 $69,045 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.9% 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 Hamilton County's history
1816
On April 12, 1816, Hamilton County was created by partitioning 1,800 square miles (4,700 km 2 ) from Montgomery County, but due to low population it remained unorganized and administered by Montgomery County until it was recognized as sufficiently prepared for self-government on January 1, 1838. Wikipedia
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 did $75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 5,379. The 2020 Census counted 5,107, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in July 2023 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hamilton County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hamilton County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Hamilton County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hamilton County ranks 5th of the eight; Fulton County is highest, at 30.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herkimer County, NY | 57 | 14.6% | 28.7% |
| St. Lawrence County, NY | 56 | 16.8% | 29.3% |
| Fulton County, NY | 52 | 12.7% | 30.3% |
| Franklin County, NY | 47 | 18.0% | 28.1% |
| Warren County, NY | 45 | 12.4% | 23.0% |
| Hamilton County, NY | 37 | 10.7% | 26.4% |
| Essex County, NY | 33 | 11.6% | 26.1% |
| 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 Hamilton County the poorest county in New York?
No, Hamilton County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 52nd 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, Hamilton County ranks 41st of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.