In Queens County, New York, rent on a two-bedroom takes about two in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Queens County, 42.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Queens County's score
In Queens County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 95.4. Jobs come next, at 63.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Queens 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.
Queens County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (10.9%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($84,684, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.4 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 rent26.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income42.1% · fiscal year 202799th percentile
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- 63.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.4% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 36.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.8% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121.3 · 202547th percentile
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- 33.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.2% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability10.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,684 · 202414th 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 Queens 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 Queens County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Queens County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Queens County had its largest rise, from 16.8% in 1989 to 23.4% in 1994.
In Queens County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Queens County, New York, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Queens County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 15.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2010, reaching 10.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Queens County, New York.
How Queens County has changed
Queens County's population had its largest rise, from 2,047,884 in 1994 to 2,208,975 in 1999.
Queens County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2019, reaching 2,411,304, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 2,411,304 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Queens County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Queens County had its largest rise, from 492,558 in 2010 to 633,251 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Queens County nearly doubled to 751,303, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 751,303 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Queens County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.5% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,900 | 2024 $84,684 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Queens County's history
1683
Queens was established in 1683 as one of the original 12 counties of the Province of New York. Wikipedia
2001
A rip current in July 2001 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 2,405,464, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 did $60 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Queens County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Queens County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Queens County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Queens County ranks 2nd of the five; Bronx County is highest, at 37.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx County, NY | 98 | 28.7% | 37.3% |
| Kings County, NY | 69 | 19.2% | 23.5% |
| Queens County, NY | 58 | 13.4% | 26.7% |
| New York County, NY | 47 | 15.5% | 8.0% |
| Nassau County, NY | 20 | 5.9% | 13.1% |
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 Queens County the poorest county in New York?
No, Queens County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 25th 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, Queens County ranks 10th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Queens 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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Asian Americans for Equality
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Chhaya Community Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Chhaya Community Development Corporation-branch Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services NYC
Legal aid
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Legal Aid Society
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 Queens 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 Queens County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.