About one in 11 people in Rockland County, New York, has a disability
In Rockland County, 9.0% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rockland County's score
In Rockland County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 99.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 20.9. About three in ten people (28.9%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rockland 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, Rockland County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (35.8%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (34.4%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 99.4 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 rent35.8% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income34.4% · fiscal year 202799th percentile
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- 39.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 32.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.2% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.9% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability9.0% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$103,771 · 20244th percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.0% · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people118.5 · 202546th percentile
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- 20.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.9% · second quarter of 202610th 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 Rockland 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 Rockland County, 15.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rockland County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rockland County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 18.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Rockland County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rockland County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.1% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Rockland County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.9%
High on the chart: 12.0% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Rockland County, New York.
How Rockland County has changed
Rockland County's population had its largest rise, from 223,240 in 1969 to 242,093 in 1974.
Rockland County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 348,144, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 264,823. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rockland County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Rockland County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 138,234 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rockland County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.6% | 2024 15.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $46,458 | 2024 $103,771 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Rockland County's history
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $4.4 million in property damage and 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 338,329, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 did $3.13 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rockland County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Rockland County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Rockland County, in New York and New Jersey, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Rockland County ranks 3rd of the six; Passaic County is highest, at 22.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passaic County, NJ | 72 | 12.1% | 22.2% |
| Orange County, NY | 54 | 12.0% | 20.2% |
| Rockland County, NY | 39 | 15.2% | 18.5% |
| Westchester County, NY | 27 | 8.7% | 10.1% |
| Bergen County, NJ | 25 | 6.7% | 11.1% |
| 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 Rockland County the poorest county in New York?
No, Rockland County's poverty rate was 15.2% in 2024, 16th 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, Rockland County ranks 40th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rockland 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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Rockland Housing Action Coalition
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 Rockland 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 Rockland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.