About one in six people with a credit file in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Berkshire County, 18.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 69% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Berkshire County's score
In Berkshire County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 82.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 23.2. Bankruptcy filings ran at 60.7 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Berkshire 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, Berkshire County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (27.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.7 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 income27.2% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 59.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.5% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 35.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.6% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.6% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- People without health insurance1.7% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,177 · 202427th percentile
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- 23.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.1% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.7 · 202515th 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 Berkshire 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 Berkshire County, 25.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Berkshire County
Massachusetts
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Berkshire County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Berkshire County, Massachusetts, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Berkshire County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 16.5%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2010, reaching 10.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
How Berkshire County has changed
Berkshire County's population fell most sharply after its 1974 high, from 149,649 in 1974 to 145,437 in 1979.
Berkshire County's population fell 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 149,649 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
The number of jobs located in Berkshire County had its largest drop, from 61,745 in 2015 to 53,904 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Berkshire County fell 11% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 62,198 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,871 | 2024 $76,177 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Berkshire County's history
1724
Payment made to Mahican people for southern Berkshire County land in 1724: 460 pounds, 3 barrels of cider, and 30 quarts of rum. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 149,402. The 2020 Census counted 129,026, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
1973
A tornado in August 1973 did $25 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in May 1995 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A thunderstorm in July 1995 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A thunderstorm in October 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1985
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Berkshire County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Berkshire County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Berkshire County, in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New York, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Berkshire County ranks 3rd of the nine; Hampden County is highest, at 32.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampden County, MA | 76 | 16.0% | 32.2% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 43 | 11.3% | 27.1% |
| Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 42 | 8.6% | 17.0% |
| Franklin County, MA | 37 | 10.2% | 28.5% |
| Bennington County, VT | 35 | 9.9% | 22.9% |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 34 | 11.2% | 21.4% |
| Dutchess County, NY | 32 | 8.4% | 18.9% |
| Columbia County, NY | 28 | 11.1% | 20.8% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 23 | 12.3% | 18.7% |
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 Berkshire County the poorest county in Massachusetts?
No, Berkshire County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 4th highest of 14 in Massachusetts (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Hampden County, at 16.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Berkshire County ranks 4th of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Berkshire 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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Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority-h
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Legal Aid
Legal aid
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MassLegalHelp.org
Legal help website
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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 Berkshire 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 Berkshire County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.