In Orleans County, New York, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Orleans County, 24.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Orleans County's score
In Orleans County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 81.5. Jobs come next, at 57.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Orleans 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.
Orleans County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (74.1, 2025) and people below the poverty line (10.8%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.5 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 rent23.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.9% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 57.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 53.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.2% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 40.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.2% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,338 · 202445th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.9% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people74.1 · 202521st 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 Orleans 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 Orleans County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Orleans County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Orleans County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 29.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Orleans County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Orleans County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.6% in 2010 to 14.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Orleans County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 15.4%
Low on the chart: 11.7% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Orleans County, New York.
How Orleans County has changed
Orleans County's population had its largest rise, from 41,461 in 1989 to 44,345 in 1994.
Orleans County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1994 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 44,345 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Orleans County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Orleans County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 12,912 in 2015 to 10,938 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Orleans County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 12,943 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Orleans County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.7% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,423 | 2024 $68,338 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Orleans County's history
1800
French refugees settled upstate New York after Napoleonic era. Wikipedia
1824
Orleans County was created in 1824 from Ontario County. Wikipedia
1998
A thunderstorm in September 1998 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 44,171. The 2020 Census counted 40,343, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Orleans County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Orleans County beside its neighbors
Orleans County scores higher than all three counties that border it. Of the group, Orleans County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orleans County, NY | 55 | 10.8% | 29.3% |
| Niagara County, NY | 54 | 13.2% | 25.8% |
| Monroe County, NY | 43 | 14.1% | 22.6% |
| Genesee County, NY | 19 | 9.9% | 25.4% |
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 Orleans County the poorest county in New York?
No, Orleans County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 50th 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, Orleans County ranks 14th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Orleans 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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Neighborhood Legal Services
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 Orleans 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 Orleans County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.