About one in 15 people in Putnam County, New York, lives below the poverty line
In Putnam County, 6.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Putnam County's score
In Putnam County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 93.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 3.6. The typical household earns $120,898 a year (2024), more than in 98% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Putnam 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, Putnam County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (29.5%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.1 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 rent26.2% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.5% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 28.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202621st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.3% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.7% · August 20254th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people108.1 · 202540th percentile
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- 14.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.9% · second quarter of 20264th percentile
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- 3.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.8% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.4% · 20242nd percentile
- People with a disability10.1% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- People without health insurance3.6% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$120,898 · 20241st 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Putnam County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Putnam County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 14.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Putnam County, New York, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 2.7% in 2011 to 3.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Putnam County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 1.8% 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, Putnam County, New York.
How Putnam County has changed
Putnam County's population had its largest rise, from 54,375 in 1969 to 68,039 in 1974.
Putnam County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 98,409
High on the chart: 99,666 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Putnam County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Putnam County rose by about half to 26,879, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 21,656. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Putnam County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 2.5% | 2024 6.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $48,978 | 2024 $120,898 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Putnam County's history
1865
Iron extracted from Highland Mountains but lost competitiveness post-Civil War. Wikipedia
1900
Farmland flooded to create reservoirs for NYC Croton Watershed. Wikipedia
1989
A tornado in July 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $1.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 99,710. The 2020 Census counted 97,668, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Putnam County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Putnam County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Putnam County, in New York and Connecticut, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Putnam County ranks 4th of the six; Orange County is highest, at 20.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, NY | 54 | 12.0% | 20.2% |
| Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 40 | 7.8% | 7.4% |
| Rockland County, NY | 39 | 15.2% | 18.5% |
| Dutchess County, NY | 32 | 8.4% | 18.9% |
| Westchester County, NY | 27 | 8.7% | 10.1% |
| 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 Putnam County the poorest county in New York?
No, Putnam County's poverty rate was 6.8% in 2024, 60th 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, Putnam County ranks 57th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Putnam 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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Putnam County Housing Corporation
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 Putnam 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 Putnam County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.