About one in nine people in Tioga County, New York, lives below the poverty line
In Tioga County, 10.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 71% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Tioga County's score
In Tioga County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 64.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 28.8. About one in 36 people (2.8%, 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 Tioga 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, Tioga County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.4 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 rent24.0% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
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- 49.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.3% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 47.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 34.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people100.6 · 202536th percentile
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- 28.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.9% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance2.8% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,102 · 202435th 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 Tioga 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 Tioga County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Tioga County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Tioga County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Tioga County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.0%; 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 Tioga County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.4%, with most of the change between 2015 and 2016
High on the chart: 14.4% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Tioga County, New York.
How Tioga County has changed
Tioga County's population had its largest rise, from 47,603 in 1974 to 49,908 in 1979.
Tioga County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1994 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 53,259 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Tioga County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Tioga County made its largest gain on the way to its 2000 high, from 11,832 in 1995 to 13,847 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Tioga County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990, after reaching its lowest on the chart in 1995
Low on the chart: 11,832 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Tioga County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.3% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,365 | 2024 $72,102 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Tioga County's history
1990
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 52,337. The 2020 Census counted 48,455, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in September 2011 did $309 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in September 2011 did $70 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in September 2011 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Tioga County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Tioga County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Tioga County, in New York and Pennsylvania, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Tioga County ranks 6th of the seven; Chemung County is highest, at 29.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemung County, NY | 62 | 14.2% | 29.2% |
| Broome County, NY | 60 | 15.9% | 26.4% |
| Cortland County, NY | 45 | 14.7% | 26.3% |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 41 | 12.1% | 25.8% |
| Tioga County, NY | 41 | 10.8% | 25.0% |
| Bradford County, PA | 36 | 11.6% | 28.5% |
| Tompkins County, NY | 31 | 17.3% | 18.3% |
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 Tioga County the poorest county in New York?
No, Tioga County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 50th 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, Tioga County ranks 38th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Tioga 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 Assistance of Western New York (LawNY)
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.
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 Tioga County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.