In Orange County, New York, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Orange County, 27.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Orange County's score
In Orange County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 94.2. About three in ten renters (30.6%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 97% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 53.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Orange 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.
Orange County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($94,789, 2024) and people with a disability (11.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.2 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 rent30.6% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.0% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 53.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 47.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.6% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 43.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.3% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people138.7 · 202555th percentile
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- 24.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.0% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.5% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability11.6% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$94,789 · 20247th 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 Orange 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 Orange County, 14.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Orange County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Orange County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Orange County, New York, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Orange County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.1% in 2012 to 10.4% in 2013.
The share of households in Orange County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.7%
High on the chart: 11.1% 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, Orange County, New York.
How Orange County has changed
Orange County's population had its largest rise, from 275,470 in 1984 to 303,688 in 1989.
Orange County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 411,767, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 372,079. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Orange County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Orange County rose by about half to 154,905, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 154,905. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Orange County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.2% | 2024 12.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,818 | 2024 $94,789 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Orange County's history
1989
A tornado in November 1989 did $25 million in property damage and killed nine people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A thunderstorm in June 1990 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A tornado in May 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A thunderstorm in May 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 401,310, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
34 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Orange County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Orange County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Orange County, in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Orange County ranks 5th of the nine; Sullivan County is highest, at 27.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passaic County, NJ | 72 | 12.1% | 22.2% |
| Sullivan County, NY | 63 | 18.7% | 27.9% |
| Pike County, PA | 60 | 9.9% | 23.7% |
| Orange County, NY | 54 | 12.0% | 20.2% |
| Ulster County, NY | 47 | 12.7% | 22.9% |
| Rockland County, NY | 39 | 15.2% | 18.5% |
| Dutchess County, NY | 32 | 8.4% | 18.9% |
| Sussex County, NJ | 28 | 5.2% | 16.8% |
| Putnam County, NY | 20 | 6.8% | 14.6% |
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 Orange County the poorest county in New York?
No, Orange County's poverty rate was 12.0% in 2024, 41st 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, Orange County ranks 15th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Orange 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- Newburgh, NY
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Rupco Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
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 Orange 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 Orange County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.