Jefferson County, New York
Above the national median for unemployment — and 16.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 0%).
Main Findings
Jefferson County, New York ranks 1,073rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 5% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
- 1,073rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 10th in New York.
- 5% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 84th percentile nationally.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 27% — national median 21%, ranked at the 90th percentile.
- Child poverty rate at 19% — national median 18%, ranked at the 55th percentile.
- Subprime credit share at 26% — national median 23%, ranked at the 59th percentile.
Neighbors span two CDI distress fifths. The 17-point drop to Lewis County marks where the New York distress corridor ends.
"Jefferson County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix."
"The CDI places this county in the second-most distressed fifth nationally. The county sits above the median distress position, with the five-domain profile showing which local pressures carry the score."
The Indicators Behind Jefferson County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Jefferson County's value shown alongside NY's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Jefferson | NY median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 49 · Rank 1,614 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 4% | 5% | 44th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 5% | 5% | 43rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 26% | 21% | 23% | 59th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 43 · Rank 1,882 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 22% | 19% | 23% | 45th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 109 | 108 | 126 | 41st | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 72 · Rank 664 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 27% | 23% | 21% | 90th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 19% | 23% | 18% | 54th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 84 · Rank 513 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 84th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 49 · Rank 1,610 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 19% | 18% | 18% | 55th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 15% | 15% | 16% | 41st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 13% | 14% | 14% | 48th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 24% | 26% | 27% | 34th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 4% | 8% | 27th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Jefferson County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 151-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Jefferson County ranks 1,073rd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 59 out of 100 places Jefferson in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,072 counties rank more distressed. Within New York, Jefferson ranks tenth of 62 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies labor as the primary driver in Jefferson. 5% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
"Jefferson County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jefferson County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How does Jefferson County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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