Indicators of financial stability are a critical benchmark of a community’s well–being. In all cases, comparisons to state statistics reflect the state excluding New York City.

Regionally, median household income has declined similar to losses at the state and national levels.
Households in the region lost some economic ground over the past decade, with median household income decreasing 4%, after adjusting for inflation. At $72,250 in 2014-18, median incomes were above the levels for the state ($68,470) and nation ($60,300). Median incomes were higher than the region in Putnam ($102,200), Dutchess ($78,000) and Orange counties ($76,700), while Ulster ($63,300), Columbia ($63,000) and Sullivan ($56,300) were lower. 

Asian and white residents in the region had the highest median incomes, at $103,500 and $75,200, respectively.  African American and Hispanic residents had the lowest median incomes at $55,700 and $60,800, though both exceeded rates for their respective groups in the state and nation.

Poverty rates in the region are below the nation.
In 2014-18, about 11% of the region’s residents were living in poverty,  on par with the state and lower than the nation (14%). Sullivan County had the highest poverty rate in the region at 15%, followed by Ulster with 14%.  Putnam County had the lowest at 5%, followed by Dutchess at 9%.

Poverty rates were highest for African American and Hispanic residents in the region (both 17%), as was true for the state and nation. In 2014-18,  Asians and whites had the lowest (each 10%).  About 7% of seniors and 5% of veterans were living in poverty in 2014-18. While poverty is relatively low at 11% for the region, another 14% of residents had incomes between 100% and 199% of the poverty level, and 14% were between 200% and 299% of poverty.

Living wage models suggest that this broader group of regional residents may have trouble making ends meet. The living wage measures the level of income that households require to pay for necessities, including housing and food, without assistance. The estimated hourly living wage for two working parents with two children was $21.41 in the region, or $89,000 a year, more than three times the poverty level (about $25,000) for a family of this type. A single earner with two children to support needs an even higher wage, $39.92/hour or $83,000 a year, to make a living wage.

More students were economically disadvantaged in 2018 compared to 2013 in the region. 
In 2018, 44% of students in the region were economically disadvantaged, slightly below the state rate of 46%. Sullivan County, at 62%, had the highest rate in the region, followed by Columbia, at 52%. The lowest rates were in Putnam, at 27%, and Dutchess, at 39%.

A low percentage of children are receiving subsidized child care. 
In 2018, 1.4% of the region’s children participated in subsidized child care, below the rate of 2.3% for the state. 

A lower percentage of the region’s population received the  Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) than nation.
About 13% of tax filers in the region received the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in 2017, similar to the state and below the nation (18%). The rates for each county, the state (excluding NYC) and nation have remained relatively unchanged since 2011.