About one in six people in Oneida County, New York, lives below the poverty line
In Oneida County, 16.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Oneida County's score
In Oneida County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 59.8. About one in four renters (22.6%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 75% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 49.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Oneida 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.
Oneida County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.3%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($72,137, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.8 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 rent22.6% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
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- 49.9 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 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.1% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
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- 49.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.7% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people135.8 · 202554th percentile
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- 48.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.3% · 202482nd percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance3.3% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,137 · 202435th percentile
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- 48.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.3% · second quarter of 202646th 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 Oneida 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 Oneida County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Oneida County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Oneida County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Oneida County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Oneida County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 13.6% in 2011 to 16.2% in 2013, 1.3 points each year.
The share of households in Oneida County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16.7%
High on the chart: 17.7% 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, Oneida County, New York.
How Oneida County has changed
Oneida County's population fell 16% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1994 to 1999, reaching 235,412. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Oneida County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Oneida County made its largest gain on the way to its 2000 high, from 104,588 in 1995 to 110,979 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Oneida County fell 8% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 110,979 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Oneida County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,415 | 2024 $72,137 |
The table uses 3.9% 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 Oneida County's history
1798
In 1798, Oneida County was created from another part of Herkimer County. Wikipedia
1848
Oneida Community established 1848 religious Utopian settlement. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 273,037. The 2020 Census counted 232,125, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1983
A tornado in May 1983 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Oneida Ltd ceased manufacturing sterling silver and flatware 2005. Wikipedia
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A tornado in June 2025 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Oneida County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Oneida County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Oneida County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Oneida County ranks 3rd of the six; Herkimer County is highest, at 28.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oswego County, NY | 65 | 15.7% | 28.2% |
| Herkimer County, NY | 57 | 14.6% | 28.7% |
| Oneida County, NY | 51 | 16.7% | 27.0% |
| Madison County, NY | 39 | 10.7% | 23.4% |
| Otsego County, NY | 35 | 13.7% | 26.0% |
| Lewis County, NY | 27 | 12.6% | 23.1% |
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 Oneida County the poorest county in New York?
No, Oneida County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 9th 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, Oneida County ranks 19th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Oneida 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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Unhs Neighborworks Homeownership Center
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Society of Mid-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 Oneida 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 Oneida County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.