About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Warren County, New York, have a job
In Warren County, 17.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 69% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Warren County's score
In Warren County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 71.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 34.9. About one in 27 people (3.7%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Warren 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, Warren County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.1 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 rent22.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.3% · fiscal year 202764th percentile
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- 46.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people140.7 · 202556th percentile
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- 42.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.2% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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- 41.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.6% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 34.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.0% · 202433rd percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance3.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,604 · 202434th 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 Warren 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 Warren County, 24.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Warren County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Warren County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 23.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Warren County, New York, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Warren County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.4% in 2013 to 11.7% in 2014.
The share of households in Warren County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 7.5% 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, Warren County, New York.
How Warren County has changed
Warren County's population had its largest rise, from 48,993 in 1969 to 52,845 in 1974.
Warren County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 65,288
High on the chart: 65,755 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Warren County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Warren County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 38,616 in 2015 to 33,837 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Warren County rose 18% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 38,616 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Warren County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.9% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,304 | 2024 $72,604 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Warren County's history
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Lightning in June 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A thunderstorm in July 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in May 2011 did $12.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 65,737, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Warren County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Warren County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Warren County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Warren County ranks 4th of the five; Washington County is highest, at 27.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NY | 51 | 11.6% | 27.4% |
| Warren County, NY | 45 | 12.4% | 23.0% |
| Hamilton County, NY | 37 | 10.7% | 26.4% |
| Essex County, NY | 33 | 11.6% | 26.1% |
| 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 Warren County the poorest county in New York?
No, Warren County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 39th 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, Warren County ranks 30th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Warren 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 Warren 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 Warren County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.