In Westchester County, New York, benefit checks make up only 10 cents of every dollar of income
In Westchester County, 10.1% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Westchester County's score
In Westchester County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 94.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 10.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Westchester 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, Westchester County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (30.2%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.2 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 rent26.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.2% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 34.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
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- 23.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.6% · second quarter of 202611th percentile
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- 22.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.1% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people88.7 · 202530th percentile
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- 10.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.7% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.5% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability10.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$117,896 · 20241st 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 Westchester 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 Westchester County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Westchester County
New York
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Westchester County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 10.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Westchester County, New York, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 10.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Westchester County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 5.6% in 2010 to 6.4% in 2011; 7.1% in 2012 to 7.9% in 2013.
The share of households in Westchester County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9.4%
High on the chart: 9.5% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Westchester County, New York.
How Westchester County has changed
Westchester County's population had its largest rise, from 944,201 in 2009 to 983,034 in 2014.
Westchester County's population rose 13% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 1,006,447 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Westchester County, New York.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Westchester County rose 9% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 433,070 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Westchester County, New York.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.8% | 2024 8.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $42,303 | 2024 $117,896 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Westchester County's history
1842
Croton Dam and Aqueduct completed. Wikipedia
1991
A tornado in June 1991 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in July 2006 did $10.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,004,457, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 did $92.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Westchester County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Westchester County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Westchester County, in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Westchester County ranks 5th of the six; Bronx County is highest, at 37.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx County, NY | 98 | 28.7% | 37.3% |
| Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 40 | 7.8% | 7.4% |
| Rockland County, NY | 39 | 15.2% | 18.5% |
| Westchester County, NY | 27 | 8.7% | 10.1% |
| Bergen County, NJ | 25 | 6.7% | 11.1% |
| Putnam County, NY | 20 | 6.8% | 14.6% |
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 Westchester County the poorest county in New York?
No, Westchester County's poverty rate was 8.7% in 2024, 57th 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, Westchester County ranks 55th of 62 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Westchester 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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Cambridge Credit Counseling Corporation - New York Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Housing Innovations, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Human Development Services of Westchester, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
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 Westchester 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 Westchester County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.