Unemployment in St. Lawrence County, New York, is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties
In St. Lawrence County, 4.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Lawrence County's score
In St. Lawrence County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 68.6. Housing costs come next, at 64.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Lawrence 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.
St. Lawrence County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (85.1, 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.8%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 68.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.2% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 64.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.2% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
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- 59.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,800 · 202461st percentile
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- 44.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.4% · second quarter of 202650th percentile
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- 34.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.5% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people85.1 · 202528th 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 St. Lawrence 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 St. Lawrence County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Lawrence County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In St. Lawrence County, New York, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.9% in 2011 to 14.8% in 2012.
The share of households in St. Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 15.5%
Low on the chart: 10.2% 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, St. Lawrence County, New York.
How St. Lawrence County has changed
St. Lawrence County's population fell 5% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2014 and 2019
High on the chart: 115,469 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Lawrence County, New York.
The number of jobs located in St. Lawrence County had its largest drop, from 36,767 in 2005 to 34,980 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in St. Lawrence County fell 8% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 37,419 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Lawrence County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.7% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,095 | 2024 $62,800 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 St. Lawrence County's history
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 114,254. The 2020 Census counted 108,505, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
1986
A tornado in August 1986 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 did $34 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flood in April 2014 did $4.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in August 2024 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1991
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Lawrence County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border St. Lawrence County, one scores higher. Of the group, St. Lawrence County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herkimer County, NY | 57 | 14.6% | 28.7% |
| St. Lawrence County, NY | 56 | 16.8% | 29.3% |
| Jefferson County, NY | 56 | 13.5% | 23.5% |
| Franklin County, NY | 47 | 18.0% | 28.1% |
| Hamilton County, NY | 37 | 10.7% | 26.4% |
| Lewis County, NY | 27 | 12.6% | 23.1% |
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 St. Lawrence County the poorest county in New York?
No, St. Lawrence County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 8th 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, St. Lawrence County ranks 12th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Lawrence 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 St. Lawrence 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 St. Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.