John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the smallest contributor in the county. Social Security was the largest contributor, totaling $570.17 million, equating to $5,059 per capita and making up 40.7% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Income Maintenance transfers across New York amounted to $33.85 billion, ranking lowest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $1,721 per capita, or 12.8% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $264.91 billion, accounting for 17.9% of residents’ total income, with an average of $13,463 per resident.
Medicare was the second largest contributor in Ontario County in 2022, accounting for $314.75 million, averaging $2,793 per capita, representing 22.5% of transfers. Medicaid transfers provided another $277.02 million, averaging $2,458 per capita and comprising 19.8% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 22.2% of the population aged 65 and older, Ontario County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Ontario County, excluding government transfers was $49,466, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $61,885, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Ontario County saw an increase in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency by 0.2%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Ontario County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 9.2% (or $2,224 per capita) in 1970 to 20.1% (or $12,420 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kings County | 1 | 23.8% | 15.6% | 3.6% | 4.9% | 10.3% | 4% | $14,305 |
| Queens County | 2 | 27% | 18% | 4.9% | 5.5% | 11.4% | 4% | $14,646 |
| New York County | 3 | 8.3% | 18.4% | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3.2% | 1.1% | $15,557 |
| Bronx County | 4 | 37.5% | 14.6% | 5.6% | 7.8% | 15.4% | 7.1% | $15,252 |
| Suffolk County | 5 | 14.8% | 17.9% | 5.2% | 4.2% | 3.3% | 1.2% | $12,478 |
| Nassau County | 6 | 12% | 18.7% | 4.3% | 3.4% | 2.7% | 0.8% | $11,969 |
| Erie County | 7 | 21.9% | 19.3% | 7.5% | 4.8% | 5.1% | 2.9% | $12,596 |
| Westchester County | 8 | 9.5% | 18.2% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 0.9% | $11,751 |
| Monroe County | 9 | 22.1% | 18.7% | 7.5% | 4.8% | 5.6% | 2.9% | $13,098 |
| Richmond County | 10 | 24.9% | 17.3% | 6% | 5% | 9.4% | 3.3% | $15,541 |
| Onondaga County | 11 | 20.6% | 18.7% | 7.1% | 4.4% | 5.1% | 2.7% | $12,460 |
| Orange County | 12 | 19% | 14.6% | 5.9% | 4.2% | 5.2% | 2.2% | $11,030 |
| Rockland County | 13 | 17.6% | 15.7% | 5.3% | 4% | 5.4% | 2% | $11,940 |
| Albany County | 14 | 16.6% | 18.3% | 5.5% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 1.7% | $12,164 |
| Dutchess County | 15 | 17.7% | 19.1% | 6.6% | 4.6% | 3.9% | 1.4% | $12,107 |
| Oneida County | 16 | 26.6% | 19.8% | 8.6% | 5.5% | 7% | 3.7% | $13,733 |
| Niagara County | 17 | 25.9% | 20.7% | 9.6% | 5.9% | 5.7% | 2.9% | $13,421 |
| Broome County | 18 | 25.9% | 20.2% | 9.1% | 5.7% | 6.1% | 3.4% | $12,651 |
| Saratoga County | 19 | 13.9% | 19.9% | 6.2% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 1.1% | $10,389 |
| Ulster County | 20 | 21.8% | 21.3% | 7.6% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 2% | $13,560 |
| Schenectady County | 21 | 22.2% | 17.9% | 7.1% | 4.8% | 6.2% | 2.8% | $12,679 |
| Rensselaer County | 22 | 21.3% | 18.5% | 7.6% | 4.5% | 5.3% | 2.2% | $11,945 |
| Chautauqua County | 23 | 31% | 21.4% | 10.4% | 6.3% | 7.8% | 4.4% | $14,352 |
| Oswego County | 24 | 27.4% | 17.9% | 9.6% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 3.5% | $12,933 |
| Ontario County | 25 | 20.1% | 22.2% | 8.2% | 4.5% | 4% | 1.8% | $12,420 |
| St. Lawrence County | 26 | 29.2% | 18.8% | 9.7% | 6.5% | 7.2% | 3.4% | $12,920 |
| Jefferson County | 27 | 22.4% | 15.2% | 6.7% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 3.1% | $11,568 |
| Steuben County | 28 | 24.9% | 20.8% | 8.7% | 5.3% | 5.6% | 3% | $13,523 |
| Wayne County | 29 | 24.4% | 20.8% | 9.4% | 5.8% | 5.3% | 2.4% | $13,134 |
| Sullivan County | 30 | 27.4% | 19.2% | 7.9% | 6% | 9% | 3.2% | $14,926 |
| Chemung County | 31 | 27.8% | 20.4% | 9.4% | 6.1% | 6.9% | 3.5% | $14,332 |
| Clinton County | 32 | 26.6% | 19.2% | 9.3% | 6.3% | 5.8% | 3.1% | $13,619 |
| Putnam County | 33 | 13.4% | 19.1% | 5.8% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 0.7% | $10,796 |
| Cattaraugus County | 34 | 30.1% | 20.6% | 10.2% | 6.6% | 7.1% | 3.8% | $13,733 |
| Cayuga County | 35 | 24.5% | 21.4% | 8.8% | 5.8% | 5.3% | 2.9% | $12,644 |
| Tompkins County | 36 | 17.3% | 16.3% | 6.7% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 1.9% | $8,839 |
| Warren County | 37 | 22.6% | 24.2% | 9.4% | 5.2% | 4.3% | 2% | $13,730 |
| Columbia County | 38 | 20.2% | 26.3% | 7.8% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 1.8% | $13,942 |
| Herkimer County | 39 | 28.3% | 22% | 9.6% | 6.2% | 7.5% | 3.2% | $13,978 |
| Madison County | 40 | 21.9% | 20.5% | 8% | 5.4% | 4.8% | 2.1% | $12,262 |
| Fulton County | 41 | 29.6% | 20.9% | 9.6% | 6.1% | 8.7% | 3.5% | $14,858 |
| Washington County | 42 | 26.5% | 21.6% | 9.7% | 5.9% | 6.1% | 2.9% | $12,641 |
| Otsego County | 43 | 25.2% | 21.3% | 9.2% | 6.4% | 5.5% | 2.4% | $12,512 |
| Montgomery County | 44 | 32% | 19.2% | 10.1% | 7.1% | 9.1% | 4% | $15,025 |
| Livingston County | 45 | 23.8% | 20.1% | 9.5% | 5.2% | 5.1% | 2.4% | $11,944 |
| Genesee County | 46 | 24.8% | 20.2% | 9.6% | 6% | 4.7% | 2.4% | $12,207 |
| Chenango County | 47 | 28.5% | 22.1% | 10.2% | 6.8% | 6.3% | 3.4% | $14,058 |
| Greene County | 48 | 23.9% | 24.2% | 9.1% | 5.7% | 5.2% | 2.2% | $13,447 |
| Franklin County | 49 | 28.1% | 19.8% | 9.4% | 6% | 7.3% | 3.5% | $13,814 |
| Delaware County | 50 | 29.8% | 26.3% | 11.1% | 7.6% | 6.7% | 2.8% | $13,684 |
| Tioga County | 51 | 24.7% | 22.1% | 9.8% | 5.6% | 4.9% | 2.7% | $12,527 |
| Allegany County | 52 | 30.2% | 20.3% | 10.6% | 6.5% | 6.8% | 3.6% | $12,485 |
| Cortland County | 53 | 24.8% | 17.3% | 8.4% | 5.3% | 6.4% | 3.2% | $11,807 |
| Orleans County | 54 | 29.3% | 20.2% | 10.5% | 6.9% | 6.3% | 3.6% | $13,286 |
| Essex County | 55 | 26.2% | 26.5% | 9.6% | 5.6% | 6.9% | 2.2% | $14,014 |
| Wyoming County | 56 | 23.1% | 20.4% | 9.1% | 5.7% | 4.4% | 2.1% | $11,617 |
| Seneca County | 57 | 27.2% | 21.7% | 10.1% | 6.1% | 6.3% | 3% | $12,673 |
| Schoharie County | 58 | 25.1% | 23.8% | 9.9% | 5.2% | 5.5% | 2.7% | $12,403 |
| Lewis County | 59 | 21.6% | 20.5% | 7.4% | 4.7% | 5.1% | 2.5% | $11,670 |
| Yates County | 60 | 25.2% | 22.4% | 9.7% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 2.5% | $12,422 |
| Schuyler County | 61 | 29.6% | 23.3% | 11.1% | 7% | 6.5% | 3% | $14,459 |
| Hamilton County | 62 | 25.3% | 33.8% | 11.5% | 6.4% | 4.4% | 1.6% | $13,701 |
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