In Schenectady County, New York, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Schenectady County, 25.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Schenectady County's score
In Schenectady County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 91.8. About three in ten renters (30.3%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 97% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 53.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Schenectady 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.
Schenectady County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.1%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($79,899, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.9 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 rent30.3% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.7% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 53.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.8% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people157.6 · 202562nd percentile
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- 44.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
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- 37.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.5% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 25.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance3.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,899 · 202420th 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 Schenectady 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 Schenectady County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Schenectady County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Schenectady County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Schenectady County, New York, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Schenectady County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 9.9% in 2012 to 12.9% in 2014, 1.5 points each year.
The share of households in Schenectady County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 14.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2012 to 2013, reaching 11.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Schenectady County, New York.
How Schenectady County has changed
Schenectady County's population had its largest drop, from 157,421 in 1974 to 151,407 in 1979.
Schenectady County's population fell to its lowest on the chart in 1999, then climbed past the 1969 level
Low on the chart: 146,857 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Schenectady County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Schenectady County had its largest drop, from 61,879 in 2015 to 56,387 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Schenectady County fell 13% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 64,775 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Schenectady County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.9% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,200 | 2024 $79,899 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Schenectady County's history
1960
A tornado in June 1960 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 160,979. The 2020 Census counted 158,061, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A flash flood in July 2008 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1987
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Schenectady County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Schenectady County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Schenectady County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Schenectady County ranks 3rd of the five; Montgomery County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, NY | 75 | 15.5% | 32.5% |
| Schenectady County, NY | 50 | 12.6% | 22.3% |
| Schoharie County, NY | 49 | 13.2% | 26.6% |
| Albany County, NY | 37 | 12.6% | 16.7% |
| 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 Schenectady County the poorest county in New York?
No, Schenectady County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 34th 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, Schenectady County ranks 21st of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Schenectady 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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BETTER COMMUNITY NEIGHBORHOODS, INC. (formerly Better Neighborhoods, Inc.)
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 Schenectady 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 Schenectady County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.