In Kings County, New York, rent on a two-bedroom takes about two in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Kings County, 44.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kings County's score
In Kings County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 95.7. Jobs come next, at 71.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kings 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.
Kings County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.5%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($80,696, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.7 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 rent26.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income44.2% · fiscal year 202799th percentile
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- 71.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 55.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.3% · second quarter of 202634th percentile
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- 46.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.2% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.9% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,696 · 202419th percentile
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- 37.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.0% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people108 · 202540th 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 Kings 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 Kings County, 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kings County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Kings County rose most sharply from its first year (13.7% in 1969) to 20.3% in 1974.
In Kings County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 23.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Kings County, New York, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kings County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.1% in 2011 to 22.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Kings County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a third from 2009 to 2024, reaching 22.9%
High on the chart: 24.0% 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, Kings County, New York.
How Kings County has changed
Kings County's population had its largest drop, from 2,456,004 in 1974 to 2,242,541 in 1979.
Kings County's population fell to its lowest on the chart in 1979, then climbed past the 1969 level
Low on the chart: 2,242,541 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kings County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Kings County had its largest rise in the last span, from 737,474 in 2020 to 924,119 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Kings County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 924,119, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 414,025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kings County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.7% | 2024 19.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,968 | 2024 $80,696 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Kings County's history
1942
Brooklyn Navy Yard peak employment World War II. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 2,738,175. The 2020 Census counted 2,736,074, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A thunderstorm in April 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A thunderstorm in July 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A rip current in June 2005 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Pfizer pharmaceutical manufacturing plant closed 2008. Wikipedia
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 did $60 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kings County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kings County beside its neighbors
Kings County scores higher than all two counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kings County ranks 2nd of the three; Queens County is highest, at 26.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings County, NY | 69 | 19.2% | 23.5% |
| Queens County, NY | 58 | 13.4% | 26.7% |
| New York County, NY | 47 | 15.5% | 8.0% |
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 Kings County the poorest county in New York?
No, Kings County's poverty rate was 19.2% in 2024, 2nd 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, Kings County ranks 3rd of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kings 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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Brooklyn Neighborhood Improvement Association
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Organization of Southern Brooklyn
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation Chldc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services NYC
Legal aid
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Legal Aid Society
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 Kings County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.