About one in five people with a credit file in Schoharie County, New York, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Schoharie County, 18.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 68% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Schoharie County's score
In Schoharie County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 84.8. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 29.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 3.3%, August 2025, lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Schoharie 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, Schoharie County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (29.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.8 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.7% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 63.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.6% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 40.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.2% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance4.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,107 · 202443rd percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.4% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people83 · 202527th percentile
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- 29.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · second quarter of 202631st 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 Schoharie 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 Schoharie County, 23.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Schoharie County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Schoharie County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Schoharie County, New York, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.6%; 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 Schoharie County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half to 13.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 13.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Schoharie County, New York.
How Schoharie County has changed
Schoharie County's population rose most sharply from its first year (24,617 in 1969) to 28,930 in 1974.
Schoharie County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 32,776 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Schoharie County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Schoharie County rose 15% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 8,963 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Schoharie County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.0% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,996 | 2024 $69,107 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Schoharie County's history
1989
A tornado in July 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 32,749. The 2020 Census counted 29,714, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A flash flood in June 2013 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1987
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Schoharie County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Schoharie County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Schoharie County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Schoharie County ranks 3rd of the seven; 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% |
| Delaware County, NY | 42 | 12.7% | 29.6% |
| Albany County, NY | 37 | 12.6% | 16.7% |
| Otsego County, NY | 35 | 13.7% | 26.0% |
| Greene County, NY | 32 | 11.3% | 23.9% |
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 Schoharie County the poorest county in New York?
No, Schoharie County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 27th 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, Schoharie County ranks 24th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Schoharie 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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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 Schoharie 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 Schoharie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.