About one in 14 people in Saratoga County, New York, lives below the poverty line

In Saratoga County, 7.1% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
62nd
of 62 counties in New York
8score /100

Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.

What drives Saratoga County's score

In Saratoga County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 50.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 5.2. About one in 38 people (2.6%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 98% of U.S. counties.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Saratoga 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.

Saratoga County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    50.6 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      19.0% · 2020 to 2024
      55th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      20.3% · fiscal year 2027
      46th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    32.4 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      13.9% · August 2025
      14th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      126.1 · 2025
      49th percentile

  • Late payments

    15.6 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      3.8% · August 2025
      22nd percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      3.0% · August 2025
      14th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      28.7% · second quarter of 2026
      9th percentile

  • Jobs

    13.3 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      17th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      13.2% · 2020 to 2024
      9th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    5.2 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      7.1% · 2024
      4th percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      7.1% · 2024
      3rd percentile
    • People with a disability
      11.5% · 2020 to 2024
      11th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      2.6% · 2020 to 2024
      1st percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $101,168 · 2024
      5th percentile

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 Saratoga 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 Saratoga County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Saratoga County

63 22 14

New York

61 21 18

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Saratoga County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 343% more than benefit checks in 2024

In Saratoga County, New York, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%40%80% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%40%80% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Saratoga County, New York American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-york/saratoga-county-ny/
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The share of households in Saratoga County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.0% in 2012 to 7.0% in 2013.

The share of households in Saratoga County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 6.5%

Low on the chart: 4.0% 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, Saratoga County, New York.

0%4%8% 4.0%6.5% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%4%8% 4.0%6.5% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-york/saratoga-county-ny/
Download data (CSV)

How Saratoga County has changed

Saratoga County's population had its largest rise, from 117,863 in 1969 to 143,125 in 1974.

Saratoga County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 240,360, with no dip in any year shown

Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 159,213. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Saratoga County, New York.

0150,000300,000 117,863240,360 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0150,000300,000 117,863240,360 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-york/saratoga-county-ny/
Download data (CSV)

The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.

The number of jobs located in Saratoga County doubled to 93,945, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 93,945. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Saratoga County, New York.

050,000100,000 50,32593,945 19901995200020052010201520202025 050,000100,000 50,32593,945 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-york/saratoga-county-ny/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 3.6% 2025 3.0% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 4.9% 2024 7.1% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $35,392 2024 $101,168 Census SAIPE

The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Saratoga County's history

  1. 1994

    A thunderstorm in July 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  2. 1998

    A tornado in May 1998 did $60 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  3. 2007

    Lightning in June 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 235,509, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  5. 2020

    A thunderstorm in October 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  6. Since 1987

    20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Saratoga County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA

Saratoga County beside its neighbors

All eight counties that border Saratoga County score higher than it does. Of the group, Saratoga County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Montgomery County gets the largest, at 32.5%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Montgomery County, NY 75 2nd of 62 15.5% 32.5%
Fulton County, NY 52 18th of 62 12.7% 30.3%
Washington County, NY 51 20th of 62 11.6% 27.4%
Schenectady County, NY 50 21st of 62 12.6% 22.3%
Warren County, NY 45 30th of 62 12.4% 23.0%
Hamilton County, NY 37 41st of 62 10.7% 26.4%
Albany County, NY 37 42nd of 62 12.6% 16.7%
Rensselaer County, NY 34 48th of 62 11.2% 21.4%
Saratoga County, NY 8 62nd of 62 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 Saratoga County the poorest county in New York?

No, Saratoga County's poverty rate was 7.1% in 2024, 59th 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, Saratoga County ranks 62nd of 62 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Saratoga 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.

New York foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Saratoga County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Saratoga County, New York, scores 8 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/new-york/saratoga-county-ny/

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 Saratoga County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.