St. Lawrence County, New York

County Distress Index: Elevated · 56.0 | 106,940 people · 8th most distressed in New York
American Default Research

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St. Lawrence County, NY registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.0 — 1144th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within New York, it ranks 8th of 62 counties. It scores higher than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. St. Lawrence County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 78.0 — worse than roughly 78% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 78.0
Poverty Rate 82
Income vs. State Median 85
Child Poverty Rate 67
Housing Cost Burden 64.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 84
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 92
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 24
Homeownership Rate 64
Rent-to-Income Ratio 60
Employment & Wages 58.9
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 11
Business Formation Rate 88
Community Vulnerability 47.1
Uninsured Rate 28
Disability Rate 66
Debt & Delinquency 31.2
Debt in Collections 40
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 30
Auto Loan Delinquency 29
Credit Card Delinquency 53
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 28

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How St. Lawrence County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. St. Lawrence County
St. Lawrence County, NY 56.0 Elevated —
Jefferson County, NY 54.1 Elevated -1.9
Herkimer County, NY 50.8 Elevated -5.3
Franklin County, NY 49.0 Normal -7.1
Lewis County, NY 41.0 Normal -15.1
Hamilton County, NY 40.9 Normal -15.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. St. Lawrence County
Ector County, TX 56.1 Elevated +0.1
DeKalb County, AL 56.1 Elevated +0.1
Harrisonburg city, VA 56.1 Elevated +0.1
Talladega County, AL 55.9 Elevated -0.1
Charlotte County, FL 56.2 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for St. Lawrence County as a CSV file.

Find Help in St. Lawrence County

Find an Attorney

New York State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

New York State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service 1-800-342-3661

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving St. Lawrence County residents at no cost.

Legal Services NYC 1-917-661-4500
Legal Aid Society 1-212-577-3300
Empire Justice Center 1-585-454-4060
Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York 1-800-462-2922
Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, Inc. (877) 777-6152
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. (585) 325-2520
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (877) 574-8529
Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee, Inc. (631) 232-2400
Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (716) 847-0650

Self-Help Resources

NYCourts.gov Foreclosure Help Official court system page with information about the foreclosure process, settlement conferences, and available resources. Includes court forms and instructions for pro se litigants.
LawHelp NY — Foreclosure Resources Comprehensive self-help legal information portal for New York residents. Includes foreclosure guides, court form generators, and legal services finder organized by county.

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Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in New York →

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for St. Lawrence County, New York?

    St. Lawrence County has a County Distress Index score of 56.0 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,144th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 8th in New York out of 62 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in St. Lawrence County?

    The primary driver of distress in St. Lawrence County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 78.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does St. Lawrence County compare to neighboring counties?

    St. Lawrence County (56.0) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Jefferson County, NY (54.1); Herkimer County, NY (50.8); Franklin County, NY (49.0).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of St. Lawrence County?

    St. Lawrence County, New York has a population of approximately 106,940 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.