In Monroe County, New York, benefit checks make up only 23 cents of every dollar of income
In Monroe County, 22.6% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 69% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Monroe County's score
In Monroe County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 77.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 34.3. About one in 32 people (3.1%, 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 Monroe 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, Monroe County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.0 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 rent26.1% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.2% · fiscal year 202764th percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.1% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
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- 42.1 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 behind4.9% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.7% · second quarter of 202632nd percentile
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- 34.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.2% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people82 · 202526th percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.9% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance3.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,594 · 202426th 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Monroe County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Monroe County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Monroe County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.5% in 2010 to 11.8% in 2011.
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.0%
High on the chart: 15.1% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Monroe County, New York.
How Monroe County has changed
Monroe County's population had its largest rise, from 711,315 in 1989 to 734,382 in 1994.
Monroe County's population rose 7% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 758,941 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Monroe County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Monroe County had its largest rise in the last span, from 355,150 in 2020 to 386,911 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Monroe County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 399,450 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Monroe County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.2% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,491 | 2024 $76,594 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Monroe County's history
1789
In 1789, Ontario County was split off from Montgomery. Wikipedia
1998
A thunderstorm in September 1998 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in September 1998 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A thunderstorm in June 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in May 2019 did $2,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 759,443, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Monroe County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Monroe County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Monroe County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Monroe County ranks 5th of the six; Orleans County is highest, at 29.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orleans County, NY | 55 | 10.8% | 29.3% |
| Monroe County, NY | 43 | 14.1% | 22.6% |
| Wayne County, NY | 36 | 11.7% | 25.5% |
| Livingston County, NY | 28 | 9.9% | 25.4% |
| Genesee County, NY | 19 | 9.9% | 25.4% |
| Ontario County, NY | 15 | 9.0% | 21.5% |
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 Monroe County the poorest county in New York?
No, Monroe County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 21st 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, Monroe County ranks 34th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Monroe 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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CCCS of Rochester-home Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Pathstone Corporation- New York
HUD-approved housing counselor
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The Housing Council at Pathstone, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Assistance of Western New York (LawNY)
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 Monroe 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 Monroe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.