About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Rensselaer County, New York, have a job
In Rensselaer County, 15.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rensselaer County's score
In Rensselaer County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 74.9. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 25.4. About one in 29 people (3.4%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rensselaer 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, Rensselaer County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.9 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 rent21.1% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.7% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.8% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people117.4 · 202545th percentile
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- 32.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.0% · second quarter of 202629th percentile
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- 29.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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- 25.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.8% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability14.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- People without health insurance3.4% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,097 · 202416th 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 Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rensselaer County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rensselaer County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Rensselaer County, New York, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rensselaer County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.2% in 2012 to 11.5% in 2013.
The share of households in Rensselaer County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 10.9%
Low on the chart: 7.9% 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, Rensselaer County, New York.
How Rensselaer County has changed
Rensselaer County's population had its largest rise, from 155,523 in 2004 to 159,150 in 2009.
Rensselaer County's population rose 6% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 161,516 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rensselaer County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Rensselaer County rose by about a fifth to 56,312, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 56,312 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rensselaer County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.4% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,881 | 2024 $83,097 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Rensselaer County's history
1791
Rensselaer County was created in 1791 from Albany County. Wikipedia
1989
A thunderstorm in October 1989 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in May 1998 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in August 2008 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 161,130, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rensselaer County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Rensselaer County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Rensselaer County, in New York, Massachusetts and Vermont, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Rensselaer County ranks 4th of the seven; Washington County is highest, at 27.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NY | 51 | 11.6% | 27.4% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 43 | 11.3% | 27.1% |
| Albany County, NY | 37 | 12.6% | 16.7% |
| Bennington County, VT | 35 | 9.9% | 22.9% |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 34 | 11.2% | 21.4% |
| Columbia County, NY | 28 | 11.1% | 20.8% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 8 | 7.1% | 14.3% |
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 Rensselaer County the poorest county in New York?
No, Rensselaer County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 48th 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, Rensselaer County ranks 48th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rensselaer 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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Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement Program
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Society of Northeastern 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 Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.