About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Wayne County, New York, have a job
In Wayne County, 17.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 68% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wayne County's score
In Wayne County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.2. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 27.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 63.9 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wayne 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, Wayne County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.2 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 rent22.3% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 38.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.8% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 37.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,826 · 202438th percentile
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- 30.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.2% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.8% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people63.9 · 202516th 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wayne County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wayne County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Wayne County, New York, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.6% in 2019 to 10.2% in 2020.
The share of households in Wayne County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.4%
High on the chart: 12.3% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wayne County, New York.
How Wayne County has changed
Wayne County's population had its largest rise, from 78,394 in 1969 to 83,135 in 1974.
Wayne County's population rose 16% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 93,860 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wayne County, New York.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County had its largest drop, from 31,351 in 2000 to 28,098 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Wayne County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 31,351 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wayne County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.2% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,491 | 2024 $70,826 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Wayne County's history
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in September 1998 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in September 1998 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 93,772. The 2020 Census counted 91,283, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2019
A flood in May 2019 did $3,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wayne County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wayne County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Wayne County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wayne County ranks 2nd of the five; Seneca County is highest, at 28.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca County, NY | 50 | 13.4% | 28.1% |
| Monroe County, NY | 43 | 14.1% | 22.6% |
| Cayuga County, NY | 36 | 13.5% | 25.3% |
| Wayne County, NY | 36 | 11.7% | 25.5% |
| Ontario County, NY | 15 | 9.0% | 21.5% |
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 Wayne County the poorest county in New York?
No, Wayne County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 42nd 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, Wayne County ranks 44th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wayne 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 Wayne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.